Zenyamada...

Day 627:

I heard Zenya had a "bomb ass" tonkotsu. So I immediately thought it would be the perfect place to meetup with Chef Jay and Jeff, The LA Sushi Guys. Zenya is located where I was once put under citizen's arrest, the old Koraku location.

After hyping up the Tonkotsu Ramen, in my mind and in the minds of everyone else, the waitress told us that they had just ran out of tonkotsu soup. Noooo! Seriously? At 1:30pm?? After trying to beg and plead for at least one bowl from the bottom of the pot, the answer was still 'sorry no more.'

So we settled on the Shio Ramen. Light and fishy (I tasted some shellfish...clams maybe?), it just didn't satisfy after expecting a "bomb ass" tonkotsu.

The noodles were texturally similar to the dehydrated kind you get from instant ramen. Anyhow, it was great seeing Chef Jay and Jeff again. They are always an inspiration and I can't help from getting fired up hearing all their informative stories. They are true professionals and really know the ins-and-outs of the LA restaurant scene. Thanks guys! I will definitely need your help someday!

Since I was still in the neighborhood (and still craving a bowl of tonkotsu), I decided to hit up Yamadaya down the street.

I park, I sit down, I order...

Then begin to slurp my Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen. It was impressive.

Now this is where it gets interesting. The same waitress from Zenya that denied us our tonkotsu walks into Yamadaya to speak with the head chef. She notices me and forces an embarrassed hello. Then I overheard her ask the chef when they could expect more tonkotsu. Hmm...I'll let you conclude the rest. I wouldn't want to make any assumptions.

Is it getting a little hot in here? Time for some cold noodles...

And HOT soondubu.

Bulgogi!

Asian food in LA is awesome!