Sumire - Mitsuwa Legendary Ramen Fair

2/15 ~ 2/18 Limited Time Only!

Mitsuwa Marketplace
21515 Western Ave.
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 782-0335

My last stop on this weekend's ramen fair is Sumire at the Torrance Mitsuwa. If you recall, I just had their instant shoyu ramen last Monday and wasn't very impressed, but I'm sure things will be different this time around. Interestingly, the line at Santouka was still longer.


I must say that there is a lot of MSG in this one. So if you aren't cool with it, consider this a warning. The layer of oil on top also keeps the soup scolding hot, so try not to slurp too fast. The miso flavor was outstanding, much better than the instant shoyu. It also reminded me of Keyaki. They both have that sweet and mildly spicy miso flavor that kills all other miso ramen in the states. The toppings (slightly dry chashu cubes, menma, moyashi, negi, and some onions) were good but minimal. I was even tempted to buy a pack of chashu from the market, but held back. The noodles were excellent and almost perfect. Sumire did not disappoint!


Sumire will also be at the San Diego Mitsuwa from 2/22~ 2/25.

Chabuya - Torrance, CA

24231 Crenshaw Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90505
(310) 530-2749

There's nothing like starting off the new year with the first ramen-ya to open in 2008. Officially open on Tuesday (1/15), Chabuya (with the success of its West LA location) has decided to bring its "real ramen" to the real ramen mecca of LA--Torrance. For those that live in the area, Chabuya Torrance is located where the izakaya Kazamidori used to be. It's also in the same shopping center as Shin-Mama Ramen but on the opposite side of Home Depot. They've been serving people for a couple of weeks now, even though they aren't officially open, so I thought I'd go give it a try before the crowds start forming. The decor is not as nice as its predecessor, but the wood furnishings and trim greets you with a feeling of old Japan. Chabuya Torrance will be a great addition and perhaps give Shin-Mama some friendly competition.


Kara Kara Ramen: This ramen is a spicy version of "The Classic" with ground chicken. I thought I'd try something different since I'd already had "The Classic" numerous times at the Sawtelle location and boy did I make the right decision. The spiciness enhanced everything about the ramen in a way that HGH enhances baseball players. What they need to do is rename this ramen to "The RGH Classic." I'm not a big fan of the thinner Hakata-style noodles but these are as good as Chef Morizumi intended. The toppings (house-made chashu, menma, negi, fried garlic, and ground chicken) were exceptionally good. I highly recommended this ramen.


Shrimp Ibushi (Charbroiled Noodles): If you go to a ramen restaurant who's mission is "to create the perfect bowl of ramen", why would you not get the ramen?? Anyway, this shio-yakisoba was just okay and only worthy of eating if you're not in the mood for ramen. I was really hoping for someone to order the okonomiyaki, but I guess we'll have to try that next time.


Pork Gyoza: If these look a little white to you then that's exactly what I was thinking. They probably needed to be cooked a little longer, but I'll just blame it on the new guy in the kitchen. After all, they haven't even officially opened.


Just a quick note: I'll be leaving for Tokyo in a few days so be on the lookout for some ferocious ramen slurping. My relatives have their favorites all mapped out for me so let's hope I can survive the msg poisoning!

Shisen Ramen - Torrance, CA

1730 Sepulveda Blvd #6
Torrance, CA 90510
(310) 534-1698

With plenty of Sichuan-style restaurants located throughout Japan, it's good to see a ramen-ya in Torrance trying to distance itself from the others with a Sichuan (Shisen) influence. Shisen Ramen does this by perfecting their signature Tan Tan style ramen, a spicy spectacle of sensation. Located on the corner of Western and Sepulveda, Shisen (sort of) reminds me of ramen-ya's in Japan--more counter seats then table seats. The waitresses are all dressed in nice Chinese dresses and are very friendly.


Shisen-ramen: An unusually delicious spicy slurp. It's not as spicy as it looks but it was still enough to give you a kick. It reminded me more like mabo-ramen without the tofu. The soup had a great flavor, probably due to the bottom-dwelling ground pork. The noodles were straight and thin with impeccable texture. The toppings (baby bok choy, cabbage, carrots, onion, and ground pork) were a welcome change from the norm. A return trip is a must!


Shisen Paiko-ramen: All of the above plus paiko (fried pork). I definitely recommend getting this one. The paiko was amazing and made the ramen twice as good.


Gyoza: These were so small that I couldn't get a good grip on the taste. They weren't bad, but they had this strange tangy-ness that sort of exploded in my mouth.


Chahan: A bit on the greasy side and missing some flavor, but still pretty decent and better then average.

Men-Bei - Torrance, CA

21605 S. Western Ave.
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 320 7730

I was driving down the 405 freeway this afternoon when suddenly a huge ramen craving came over me. It must have been the Torrance air because as soon as a glanced up at the freeway sign, Western Avenue was only a mile away. That's when I knew I was destined to exit. I've been wanting to check out Men-Bei for quite a while now and this was the perfect opportunity. Located in the same shopping center as Musha, Men-Bei has a similar ambiance to most ramen-ya's you'll find around Southern California, including that loud-mouth Japanese business man who thinks the restaurant should revolve around him.

Shoyu-ramen: At first sip, I frowned. At second sip, I crinkled my forehead. From then on, I was happy. I guess it just caught me off guard. I'm not sure why, but I ended up really enjoying the flavor of the soup. The noodles were also very good. Cooked slightly too long, I still savored the straight, chewy texture. The toppings (egg, spinach, moyashi, chashu, and negi) were just average. The chashu had an interesting sweetness, but this didn't overcome its dryness. Nonetheless, I can't wait to go back and try the dozen other ramen on the menu!


Chahan: It's a good thing I'm not a presentation freak. Otherwise this chahan would have made me go ballistic. Despite the orange tint and the someone-took-everyone's-leftovers-and-put-them-on-my-plate look, this chahan was surprisingly tasty. I wouldn't call it the best (not even close), but it still did the trick and satisfied my hunger.

Gardena Ramen - Torrance, CA

1840 W. 182nd St.
Torrance, CA 90504
(310) 324-6993

Gardena Ramen in Torrance? I'm not sure what the story is there but Gardena Ramen does sound better than Torrance Ramen. Intrigued by rameniac's heavy claim that "Gardena Ramen serves the best ramen in Southern California", I definitely had to check it out! Located on the corner of 182nd and Western, Gardena Ramen is a quaint little ramen-ya with a clear emphasis on simplicity. The menu consists of just a few items written on plain white paper hanging from the walls in both English and Japanese: Shoyu-ramen, Miso-ramen, Hiyashi-ramen (summer only), and Gyoza. Did I mention the weather was great today? After our recent 100+ heat waves, it finally cooled to a modest 74 degrees in Torrance. The perfect day to go eat ramen!



Shoyu-ramen: Hmm...Nakamura-san may be working too hard on his golf swing these days. This shoyu-ramen may reside in the vicinity of the upper echelon of ramen, but it is still a few nails down from hanging with the best. Albeit not the best, I still enjoyed the ramen as a whole and could almost taste the effort that Nakamura-san uses to perfect his ramen. This is absolutely a feel good ramen-ya with a feel-good ramen. The soup was more on the usui side and far from the saltiness I expected. The noodles were surprisingly the best part of the ramen. Slightly chewy yet firm, slurping these were like being lost in a lucid dream. The toppings (dry chashu, egg, negi, and menma) were just average and very unimpressive. You can definitely tell that the soup and noodles get most of the attention in preparation.


Gyoza: Great flavor, but a bit chewy. The skin is much thicker than most gyoza's I've tried. I still think that they're worth ordering though. They go perfectly with the ramen. Doh! I forgot to mention rameniac to get the free gyoza. Oh well, at least Nakamura-san gets paid for them!

Shin-Mama Ramen - Torrance, CA

24631 Crenshaw Blvd. #K
Torrance, CA 90505
(310) 517-9099

After waking up with a ramen hangover, my body yearned for at least a one day break. But when I received a call from my mom in Torrance asking if I wanted to eat ramen for lunch, I couldn't resist. Perhaps it wasn't the ramen giving me a hangover after all. I bet it was all that downtown smog I'd been inhaling. Anyway, I'll take any chance I get to eat ramen in Torrance! I hear that Shin-Mama Ramen place has more than just a ma~ma~ (average) ramen. Let's go!

Shoyu-ramen: As the shoyu-ramen arrived, its garlic aroma intensely attacked my senses with breathtaking clarity. I enjoyed the unexpected arousal. The soup was astoundingly rich and flavorful with plenty of oil to lubricate my engine. It was possibly the best part of the ramen! The abundance of oil also helped to lubricate the eloquently crimped noodle as I savagely slurped it down my throat. The toppings (chashu, menma, egg, negi, and a piece of nori) supported the ramen in oscar-nominating fashion (not quite the winner). I guess they were right! Shin-Mama ramen is more than just ma~ma~.


Hachimoku chahan & Gyoza: The chahan was flavorless and may have been missing a key ingredient. It tasted slightly better when I dipped it into the ramen soup but still needed something more. The gyoza was crispy and chewy with a slight kick. Not much to rave about here. Both were just ma~ma~.