中華そば GOMEN - Stanton, CA (revisited)

7147 Katella Ave.
Stanton, CA 90680
(714) 761-8007

All I have to say is GOMEN-なさい! After all the comments and emails that I received from people saying that my last review was harsh and that Gomen deserves better than a 38 ranking, I've decided to give them another chance. But before I begin, let me just briefly explain my last review. Besides eating ramen at Santouka 30 minutes prior to eating at Gomen, there must have been something really wrong with the soup that day because it did indeed taste pretty bad. Also (as we all know) food reviews are very subjective, so I don't mind at all if someone disagrees with me. But I guess some doooooooods out there have a problem with that. Consistency is a key element for not just ramen-ya's but for all restaurants. That so called "one bad day" could ruin even the best of them. With all that off my chest, I really am sorry for ranking Gomen so low. Based on today's visit, this Wakayama Ramen (#17) deserves to be ranked in the top 10 for sure.


Tonkotsu-Shio ramen: Although the genre of Wakayama Ramen is tonkotsu-shoyu, the tonkotsu-shio here is the one to get. Its creamy, garlic-enhanced soup reminded me of フクチャンスープ and I'll even go out on a limb to say that Gomen has the best tonkotsu ramen in the OC. Yes, I said it. The hakata-thin noodles were perfectly cooked today and I was really impressed. The toppings (chashu, egg, negi, and menma) were also working hard to stand out. As of this minute, I would give Gomen the #1 ranking in the OC and a possible top 5 overall just because of this ramen I had today, but I wouldn't set that in concrete just yet.


Tonkotsu-Shoyu ramen: This is what I had ordered in my last review that left a bad taste in my mouth. Today's version was missing that burnt taste (thankfully) and basically tasted like the ramen above on shoyu steroids. Although it was better than before and actually quite delicious, I would prefer the shio version any day.


Gyoza: I liked the gyoza the last time and it was no different today. Four pieces with the combination is perfect.


Chahan: This chahan was also excellent. No complaints here.


Wooden Chopstick: I'm glad these chopsticks say that they're wooden. Otherwise I may have thought they were metal...hahaha.

Daikokuya - Costa Mesa, CA

2975 Harbor Blvd., Suite 5
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(Marukai Food Court)
(714) 436-0151
www.daikoku-ten.com

Okay so it's not Ippudo, but the next best thing (insert wamu sign here) is having the famed Daikokuya expand into the OC. Located inside the food court of the Marukai in Costa Mesa, Daikokuya tries to quietly conquer where Chabuton failed. Will they succeed? Of course they will, right? They're Daikokuya! And they have real spoons!! I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Daikoku ramen: Mmm...good, but the soup does taste muted. The lush creaminess was like heaven, but it was missing that devilish kick. Oh well, I didn't care. I was too excited to let anyone or anything disappoint. And after a long motorcycle ride on a cool Sunday morning, I was ready for something to soothe my soul. The toppings (chashu, moyashi, menma, negi, egg) were nothing less than top notch. Although the chashu didn't exactly melt, it still hit the spot. And the egg is quite possibly the best egg in a bowl of ramen on this side of the Pacific. The noodles were just noodles. Nothing spectacular, but not disappointing enough to ruin it for the rest. Anyhow, I don't see Daikokuya leaving this food court anytime soon. If anything, Marukai just might have to add more tables somewhere--outside, perhaps.


Gyoza: You can't have Daikoku ramen without an order of gyoza! Eating these are mandatory! So order one...or two...or three! If you don't like green onions, then brush 'em off or order them negi-nashi!

Restaurant Kohryu (revisited) - Costa Mesa, CA

891 Baker St. Suite B-21
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 556-9212

I had this nightmare once. And it almost came true last year. But luckily they were able to accommodate me. BUT that was last year. And what was the nightmare about, you ask? Well, it was about a waiter at Kohryu saying "Sorry, we can't do that anymore." Those six words relayed in Japanese would leave my heart skipping. But that was a nightmare. It couldn't really happen right?

Wrong! It's now official, Kohryu will NEVER be that same Kohryu I remember from the late 90's. They have refused to make the one and only thing that kept me from ditching Kohryu after their first ownership change--Paiko Ramen R.I.P.

And yes I did say "first" ownership change. Now it appears that they've had their second. After recently hearing that Kohryu had a grand opening (or grand re-opening) in January that had people lining up for 2+ hours (Is that really true?), I thought I'd head down to my old hood and check out the newest version of my once-favorite-ramen-ya. I first blogged about Kohryu last July, and back then they were still similar to how the original one was. Even though the taste had changed, the overall feel had not and they were always eager to make the off-menu Paiko Ramen. But now, the only thing left is the name. The people working are different. The decorations are different. And heck, even the soap in the bathroom is different. I may never recover from this resentment, but I will try my hardest to fairly review the following food I ate.


Kohyru-ramen (shoyu): So I settled on the Kohryu-ramen. A refreshing shoyu ramen with an overwhelming fried onion impression. It tasted like french onion soup with noodles. Not that that's bad, but it was not expected. The noodles were just your average ramen noodle probably made in some factory down south. The toppings (a hanjyuku egg, chashu, menma, raw negi, and charred negi) appropriately kept this ramen afloat. The hanjyuku egg was the most worthy part. Overall, I would say that this was last year's Lakers. With the hanjyuku egg being Kobe and everything else just there to complete the roster. It's definitely lacking some Pau!


Gyoza: This gyoza did not look appetizing at all. It tasted fine with loads of garlic, but they still couldn't compare to how good they used to be.


Age soba: Kohryu was never really a full-fledged ramen-ya, but from this day on I will consider it only as a Chinese Restaurant. This age soba was absolutely delicious. It's like pan-fried noodles. IF I ever go back to Kohryu, I will be ordering this and only this.

Asameshi Maeda Honten - Mitsuwa Legendary Ramen Fair

2/15 ~ 2/18 Limited Time Only!

Mitsuwa Marketplace
665 Paularino Ave
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 557-6699

I didn't plan on going to try this today, but on my way back from San Diego I passed by on the 405 and couldn't resist exiting (sorry ed I'll still meet you there on Sunday). Asahikawa shoyu has got to be one of my favorite types of ramen, mostly because the rich shoyu flavor blended with pork and fish and all the other ingredients guarantees to put a smile on my face. And Asameshi Maeda Honten was no exception!


The very first thing I noticed was...wow a real bowl. Then I realized I had ticket #266 and that means someone has had to wash 265 bowls before mine...and this is only the first day! Man, I feel sorry for that person. Okay, on to the ramen. I almost felt like I was back in Japan traveling from Tokyo to Yokohama to Kawasaki all in one day to eat ramen. It's too bad we don't have a real ramen park over here, but I guess this is close enough. This ramen was incredibly good! If my stomach would have been able to take it, I would have eaten another bowl. Even with a burnt tongue, that soup was delicious (I think my tongue is really burnt now). The noodles could have been better, but they were just like Asahikawa makes them. The toppings (thinly sliced flavorful chashu, menma, egg, and negi) capped off a remarkably tasty ramen. You have to GO!


Asameshi Maeda Honten will also be in Torrance from 2/22 ~ 2/25 and San Diego from 2/29 ~ 3/3 both at their respective Mitsuwa locations. If you miss the one in your town, I recommend traveling to the next closest. Have fun!

Sushi Pia - Fullerton, CA

3165 Yorba Linda Blvd.
Fullerton, CA 92831
(714) 986-9888

Sushi Pia, a ramen house? I remember passing by this place earlier in the year while searching for Wakai Sushi & Ramen House and I can recollect seeing a space under construction with a sign that read "Sushi Coming Soon". I guess this new sushi place also serves ramen. Hopefully it's better than Wakai's because I've heard some bad things about how their ramen was.


Pork-ramen: One word...eck! Okay that's not really a word, but I don't know how else to describe it. It's a shoyu-based chashu ramen that tasted downright funky. I don't even want to touch what I thought it tasted like. Let's just say it was one tiny step above Mountain. The toppings (chashu, moyashi, egg, cabbage, kamaboko, seaweed, and negi) only funkdafied it more. The noodles were like ramyun noodles.


Chicken-ramen: Two words...eck+chicken!


Gyoza: If I would have known they were fried I wouldn't have ordered them. But I'm glad that I did because they were the only things that tasted decent.

EZO Noodle Cafe - Irvine, CA

13256 Jamboree Rd.
Irvine, CA 92602
(714) 544-5075

Before I get started, I just want to give my condolences to all who have been affected by the recent fires in socal. It's been crazy enough just watching it on TV. I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to lose almost everything you own in a matter of minutes. I hope you are all safe and best of luck with piecing things back together!

It doesn't take much to get me to go eat ramen. But after edjusted gave EZO a bad rating back in 2005 and cutie followed by commenting "ezo noodle cafe is really really bad!!" one year later, I was never in a real rush to give this place a try. The only reason I even considered going is because I found this coupon online the other day. It's not much of a coupon, but it was enough to just get EZO on the board and out of the way.

Miso-ramen (EZO Special): I love miso soup, but I've never really been a huge fan of miso-ramen. And this EZO Special didn't impress me enough to change that. In fact, it didn't really impress me at all. Granted this is a "fast-casual" restaurant where everything is served in plastic on a flimsy lunch tray, but that's no excuse to serve a less than mediocre ramen. Perhaps they should get some tips from Santouka. On a another note, providing plastic teaspoons for sipping soup should be outlawed! Anyway, the soup was strangely tangy for ramen. I'm not quite sure what to think about it. The noodles were decent, but I couldn't get over that tangy-ness. The toppings (naruto, negi, moyashi, cabbage, and a horrendously dry piece of chashu) were mind-blowingly boring. And tangy.


Shoyu-ramen: Bland with an extra hint of bland. The noodles and toppings were the same as above, minus the tangy. Did I mention that it was bland? Wait, it wasn't that bland but it was pretty bland. Who came up with the word bland anyway? Did someone just eat something bland and happen to mutter bland? Okay, this blandness is making me balmy.


Gyoza: Straight from the grocer's freezer. At least that's what it tasted like. Don't let the seared outside fool you, the inside was still cold. I'm not sure I'd even say that they are worth the free coupon. Actually I am sure, they're not!

Takaraya - Irvine, CA

5408 Walnut Ave
Irvine, CA 92604
(949) 654-1221

I've passed by this place many times on my way to the soft tofu restaurant a few doors down and never knew that they had ramen until now. I always thought it was just a non-authentic japanese fast-food hole-in-the-wall with a non-japanese owner. Well, I was half correct. They are japanese owned. The name also sounds familiar. There used to be a Takaraya in Costa Mesa where Mentatsu is now located. Considering the Costa Mesa one was a full-fledged ramen-ya, this Irvine joint doesn't appear to be its predecessor.


Shoyu-ramen: Unimpressive. The noodles were way too soft. The worst buzz kill. The soup on the other hand was decent. The mushroom smell was surprisingly bearable and very light tasting. And for the toppings (chashu, menma, seaweed, negi, and a piece of nori)...did this ramen have toppings? Enough said. Perhaps I would have noticed them if the noodles weren't cooked so long. I think I'll continue to pass by this place for the soft tofu.


Gyoza: Plenty of garlic and that's about it. I think if I closed my eyes while biting in, I might of thought it was a roasted garlic. I recommend soaking them in shoyu for at least 10 seconds.

Oki Doki Asian Cuisine - Costa Mesa, CA

At first glance you may not think Oki Doki serves ramen, but a closer look at the menu reveals an obscure shoyu-ramen surrounded by various Asian dishes from Japan, Vietnam, China, and Korea. Located near what I call Costa Mesa's "ramen whirlpool" and owned by the same owner of San Shi Go Japanese Restaurant in Laguna Beach, it's not surprising that ramen made it onto the menu here, albeit just one type--shoyu. An added benefit of this restaurant is that it will also accommodate your not-so-crazy-about-ramen-like-you-are friends, since ramen is not their main dish.

Shoyu-ramen: Not the prettiest looking ramen, but also not their main focus. After all, looks aren't everything. The soup base was very oily and loaded with garlic that pleased my soul. You can distinctly taste some other Asian influences involved which makes this ramen very unique. The toppings (chashu, egg, naruto, moyashi, menma, and glazed scallions) were average and almost went unnoticed. The noodles definitely need some more work too. But I'll let it slide since this isn't their specialty. Overall, this ramen was enjoyable and worth it. I'll have to head back someday, not only for the ramen but for all the other oishii-looking dishes.

Chuuka Soba GOMEN - Stanton, CA

7147 Katella Ave.
Stanton, CA 90680
714-761-8007

Hmm...I wonder why they're apologizing ahead of time? (Gomen also means "sorry" in japanese.) Could this be a bad sign??

And the answer is...YES!!!! Literally and figuratively! Let's get straight to it folks.

Tonkotsu-Shoyu-ramen: Submerged in this murky bowl of shoyu flavored tonkotsu ramen, lives a slithering noodle creature that can only be described as...odd. What is this flavor I'm tasting? The soup is extremely unusual, confusing my taste buds with that crinkling forehead sensation. The noodles were even worse! Claimed to be homemade and fresh, I couldn't grasp why I kept tasting charcoal with every slurp. I wouldn't go as far as saying "don't go" to this place, after all we are called GO RAMEN!, but I'm not sure if I can accept their apology. If there's anyone out there that can change my mind about this, please let me know what I need to try!


Gyoza: Lightly burnt to a crisp (the way I like it), the gyoza was a bit more familiar to my taste buds. But it still couldn't fix the damage done by the ramen oddity. And what's with that plate?!

Santouka - Costa Mesa, CA

665 Paularino Ave.,
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-434-1101
more info

Located in the Mitsuwa shopping center in Costa Mesa, Santouka is a great place to enjoy a quick ramen after some shopping. Their ramen isn't quite gourmet but it still does a good job of filling that hungry stomach of yours. And don't worry, it tastes much better than the one in that plastic display case. Just be sure to bring your own soup spoon because a fork would probably work better than the spoon they give you. Or you can two-fist it, like I did.

Shoyu-ramen: Balancing a bowl of ramen on a plastic tray in a crowded food court can become quite tricky. And two is just plain stressful! After avoiding any spills and admiring my balancing act, I was finally able to taste what I had been intensely staring at for 10 minutes. To my amazement, the soup was very flavorful but overly oily (see pic below). The noodles had a good texture despite reminding me of the instant nama ramen I had for dinner last night. If I had to choose, I would probably choose the instant ramen. The toppings consisted of a fatty piece of chashu, seaweed, menma, scallions, sesame seeds, and a piece of naruto (not the manga!).

Kairakutei Ramen House - Tustin, CA

17292 Mcfadden Ave.
Tustin, CA 92780
714-368-0233

Originally from Yokohama Japan, the owner of Kairakutei has brought his father's famous ramen recipe to the states in hopes of rekindling that same popularity with ramen lovers of Orange County. And it may be working because year after year I've never heard anything bad about this place. It's located in an odd triangle shopping center surrounded by Mcfadden, Walnut, and Newport Avenues. It may be hard to find so be on the look out for the ramen sign.

Shoyu-ramen: After weeks of trying ramen bordering on blandness, this ramen is light years away. For some people, it may even be too strong. I, for one, found it exciting to meet a ramen with this much flavor. Another indication of the soup being strong was the darkness of the noodle absorbing the shoyu--marination at its best. If you tend not to like a strong soup make sure you tell the waitress when ordering. The chef will be more than happy to lighten it up! The noodle texture was perfect and the traditional toppings (egg, chashu, seaweed, and scallions) were quite the match. Even the uniqueness of being served in a bowl traditionally reserved for udon was amusing. My only complaint would be the lack of menma (bamboo shoots). How can a ramen be without menma?!! Well, I guess I'm willing to overlook it since the ramen was so good. Maybe I'll just bring my own menma next time!


Tonkotsu Miso-ramen: Mmmmmm...miso!


Tan Tan-ramen: Spicy and fulfilling!


Gyoza: Claimed to be "home-made" (in which I don't disagree), it's still far from coming close to moms! But if you have room in your stomach, do not hesitate to order them. One could argue that they are made too big (bigger than the norm), but I think the size gives the big taste justice. After all we are in America!


Chahan: When I first saw this chahan I got flashbacks of all the "okosama lunches" I'd eaten as a kid. It looked so much like a childish plate of chahan that I hesitated to eat it. But after that first bite I couldn't stop. The chahan may have been the best part of my visit to Kairakutei. It's very rare that you find a chahan this good to accompany your ramen. And the good news is that it comes as part of a set. I highly recommend it!

Kohryu Ramen - Costa Mesa, CA

891 Baker St. Suite B-21
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-556-9212

Kohryu used to be my favorite ramen-ya in Orange County up until their recent change of ownership. Now it's just a reminder of my mom's broken english--"I kohryu laeta." Joking aside, the ramen is relatively decent and still may be my first choice when visiting Costa Mesa, but it will never live up to the ramen-ya it used to be.

(I apologize for not having any pics here. My storage card crashed when trying to upload them. I'll take some more when I get a chance to go back.)

Shoyu-ramen: Good flavor, light taste, not very filling. The noodle texture was good but the toppings (or lack thereof) sucked. The disappointment of ownership change is affecting my ability to leave a detailed review...my apologies.

Shio-ramen: Same as shoyu but a little lighter. It needs more than just one piece of chashu and 3 pieces of menma.

Gyoza: The pre-ownership change gyoza was also much better than it is now but I was still pleased with the flavor. It actually woke up my senses and invoked the nostalgic memories of old-koryu. If you go here just to eat the gyoza you should leave happy. You may even want to stay away from the ramen all together and order one of their chinese dishes.

Ebisu Ramen - Fountain Valley, CA

18942-A Brookhurst St.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
www.ebisuramen.com

"World's Best Noodle House" - website.

Hmm...they must be in their own world. Although quite tasty and worth the price, "world's best" is a stretch. Located around the way from Ebisu Market, this restaurant and shopping center holds a place in my childhood. So much so that I can still visualize the history of events related to their evolution as far back to Takeda-san's (owner) market truck. I won't go into it here but you can ask me to elaborate in the comments if you like.

I tend not to mention prices but this was too good a deal not to. The lunch special I ordered came with shoyu-ramen, chahan, 2 pieces of gyoza, a salad, and a drink all for under $10! Go hungry and you'll leave satisfied.

Shoyu-ramen: After getting over how the taste kept invoking past memories, the shoyu-ramen tasted average and not very impressive. The noodles actually ruined it for me. Perhaps it was because I was the first person in there, but parts of my noodles were stuck together and clumpy. The texture was fine but we all know that ramen needs to be continuously stirred when cooking! The soup base was the best part of it. No overly aggressive flavors tugging at your taste buds. Just a nice balance of crisp subtlety. The toppings were nothing fancy but complemented the ramen very well.


Chahan & Gyoza: This chahan was delicious and reminded me of home. It wasn't greasy or mushy and had plenty of flavor. And dipping it into the ramen soup made it 100x better! It was almost better than...okay I won't go there. The gyoza was also delicious but not in the top 10. You can't go wrong with this combination! (p.s. I couldn't finish all my chahan. Perhaps a little less chahan with one more gyoza would have been better.)

Mentatsu - Costa Mesa, CA

688 Baker Street #7
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-979-2755

Located behind Wahoo's on the corner of Baker and Bristol, Mentatsu is slightly hidden and often overlooked by shoppers heading to the neighboring japanese market, Mitsuwa. It seems like every time I come here this restaurant has a new name. In my opinion, it has the highest ownership turnover of all the ramen-ya's in Orange County, but I could be wrong. Perhaps it's the location--the small parking lot and hostess bar next door--or maybe it's just the food. As I walked in, I noticed that the interior had been nicely remodeled as opposed to the hole-in-the-wall that it used to look like. Could this be a good sign or just the attractive lure that holds our stomachs hostage?

Shoyu-ramen: Similar to the interior design of the restaurant, the shoyu-ramen looked better than it actually tasted. I wasn't impressed at all. The soup base was light and crisp, but after a few sips I began to notice an influx of pepper going down my throat. Not a delight. The noodles were equally bad. They had that freeze-dried-feel you get from packaged ramen at the market. You know, with the permanent crinkles. I felt like I could reconstruct the square block without using a wizard. The toppings even tasted artificial. If you like chashu made from an egyptian mummified pig then this is surely the ramen for you. The egg was just an egg, the menma was just menma, and the kamaboko was just fish cake. I could've eaten this at home.


Gyoza: The gyoza looked great as well, but what is it with this place? They must have got their hands on the business plan for the hostess bar next door! I'm surprised that they just haven't hired all the hostesses to sit with you while you eat this crap--I still wouldn't go back. Okay, now back to the gyoza. Once again it tasted like something you can buy from the freezer section of Mitsuwa and cook at home. The garlic content was so minimal it could probably be classified as a pro-oxidant. I bet if a vampire was sitting next to me I would be one by now.

Shinsengumi Hakata Ramen - Fountain Valley, CA

18315 Brookhurst St.

Fountain Valley, CA 92708
714-962-8971
http://www.shinsengumiusa.com

Located across the street from my favorite izaka-ya, Kappo Honda, Shinsengumi comes close to that japanese compact-hustle-and-bustle-busy-ramen-house feel and is best known for their "Hakata Ramen", a tonkotsu (pork bone) flavored ramen originating from Japan's southernmost island, Kyushu. If you go for lunch, go early. They tend to get crowded right before noon so going at 11:30am might be the best time. Service is quick and you can probably get in and out within half an hour.

Hakata Ramen (Tonkotsu): I've never exposed my taste buds to a really bad tonkotsu ramen and luckily I can still make that claim. Unfortunately, I can't say it was the best but overall it was still very good. The menu here is simple. They have several combinations to choose from and when you are ready you just write it all down on a piece of paper and hand it off to the waitress--I chose the A-set (Hakata ramen and gyoza). For the ramen, you get to choose the texture of your noodles (hard, normal, soft), the oil used for the soup (less, normal, more), and the density of the soup base (less, normal, more). I chose normal for all the questions just to get an idea of what normal actually was. I suppose you can't necessarily complain too much about the soup or noodle texture since you have the option of changing it to your liking. I for one felt that normal tasted great and most likely won't change a thing the next time I go there. The soup is definitely what makes this ramen. It is very flavorful and surprisingly light for tonkotsu. The chashu was also better than most places and along with the ginger and green onion, they all complemented the ramen deliciously. If you've never been to Shinsengumi and you're in town, I recommend that you stop by for a refreshing noodle soup. They also have locations in Rosemead and Gardena.



Gyoza: The gyoza that accompanied the A-set were smaller than normal but don't be fooled. These mini-gyoza had some major taste. You get six of them to go with your ramen and they are a must-get if you ask me. Unless of course you are on a date and plan on getting close at the end of the night. In that case you may want to stay away because the garlic breath that results will fend off vampires for several hours, which is usually the effect of a great gyoza.


Chahan: The chahan was just mediocre. A distinct seaweed flavor surrounded this half-sphere and it probably could have used more salt.