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Welcome to my ramen dream... Currently being interpreted in Ramen Burger Land... Looking for a good slurp? Email me ! - Keizo

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Kyushu Ramen - Van Nuys, CA (Now Feat. Shuchan?)

15355 Sherman Way
Van Nuys, CA 91406
(818) 786-6005
Village Plaza

New sign, new decor, new chef? Back in August, someone left an anonymous comment on this post stating that Shuchan (from Shuchan Ramen) would be training in Van Nuys for 1 year. Since there's only one ramen-ya in Van Nuys, I often wondered if it was Kyushu Ramen. Then, last week my "secret ramen informant" sent me an email confirming this inside information and indeed I saw the truth today [with my own eyes] when Shuchan himself came out from the kitchen to greet me. Sweet!

Kyushu Ramen has been steadily declining since my first visit in 2007 so it's no surprise that they brought in some serious talent to revive the valley ramen scene. An experience I had last year with their chanpon was a complete, utter disaster and I refused to post my revisit. But now, hearing that Shuchan is here changes the whole ball game. Could he really make a big difference and provide some much needed noodle resuscitation? Let's go find out!


Shoyu Ramen: Immediately, I noticed something different. The soup was not overbearing like it used to be and it also didn't stain the noodles with a dark brown tinge. Although it's a very light "assari" shoyu without much fanfare, the soup was far from being bland and had Shuchan written all over it. Perfect?...not quite. Impressive?...yes! The toppings (chashu, menma, spinach, egg, naruto, negi) were noticeably fresh yet simple enough to remain in the shadows.


The noodles were slightly different from what I remember, but still nothing to write home about. They're just your average factory-born ramen noodle. Sigh...


Chahan (Fried Rice): Believe it or not, this chahan impressed me tenfold. I can almost declare that it will compete with the best of them. I only say "almost" because I'm still in fried-rice-shock. The amount of oil used can make or break a good chahan recipe, like a badly splintered chopstick, and this case was no exception. The oil was perfect, which left the rice far from being mushy.


Shuchan has definitely improved Kyushu Ramen, but I'd still be curious to taste his influence on all the other dishes. Looks like I'll be going back soon...perhaps even tomorrow...care to join me?

9 comments:

  1. Great news for the valley, and subsequently for me. Heh. Did you go again today? It was rather hot for ramen.

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  2. No...got stuck at work so I just at pizza instead...boring. And yes it was hot but I'll eat ramen in the heat of death valley if I had to...haha.

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  3. Oh yeah? That sounds like a challenge. Death Valley ramen challenge!

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  4. Wow, nice presentation. That spinach looks so fresh and the egg cut is nice. But man, nobody here does the egg right. You shouldn't be able to cut it like that. :P

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  5. Woo...that is the good news you had been talking about!

    BitesAndBolt, you should go there and report back to us. Too bad for me because I would had been glad to visit that Gardena location.

    The ramen bowl does look good though. Especially for a valley ramen-ya. LOL

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  6. Well, it is raining again today. I may have to stop in for lunch!

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  7. @Dan: Thanks! I agree, what's up with the quarter egg? I guess we can blame the economy...haha.

    @Pepsi: Yeah, I can't wait to see BB's review too. I think Shuchan is planning to open his own again next year. Can't wait!

    @bitesandbolts: So did you end up going? I would have joined you but I'm working from home today. Let me know what you thought!

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  8. is shuchan is still there?...anyways your website really helped me find the best ramen places around!!! thank you your website is very friendly and practical

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  9. Hey Jason. I think someone told me that he would be there for a year but I could be wrong. I'll have to go check soon and let you know. And thanks for the kind words!!

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