Mr. Ramen in Little Tokyo - good!

Went to the charmingly named Mr. Ramen on First Street for lunch today. I give it a good recomendation - good soup, if not as life changing as handmade beef noodle soup from Mandarin Deli. I had the spicy pork bone ramen. It was, indeed, spicy, and also very orange. I deeply regretted choosing to wear my white sweater, but that is what bleach is for. The pork was pretty tender, the noodles were tasty, and the broth was spicy and pork-y. Also had gyoza on the side, which were crispy and good, but not extraordinary.

Certainly a good ramen joint, but not earth shattering. I'd go back to Mandarin Deli next time. As a matter of fact, when I go to Mandarin Deli, I'm going to skip the soup and just get 3 orders of the scallion pancakes, then go home and sleep off the grease.

Mr Ramen
341 1/2 E. 1st St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: [phone]

Link: http://www.japaneserestaurantinfo.com...

[Clyde]

i've been to mr. ramen and liked it and have been curious to try Daikokuya b/c there is always a bunch of people waiting to get in so i figured it must be better. my question is- do they have veggie or fish broth? i can't do chicken/pork/beef broth. i couldn't tell from the menu they had outside. thanks.

[ns1]

definitely not at daikokuya.

[Keizo]

wow it's like this post was brought back from the CH vaults. Anyway, ramen soup is typically made with pork, chicken, and fish or some combination of those. Definitely not vegetarian food...sorry Clyde.

[okitasan]

I think if you just want a simple good bowl of ramen for a good price (especially the set with fried rice), Mr. Ramen is a really good choice.

If you like ramen, go west a few doors down and try Daikokuya. Only one type of ramen, but it's absolutely fantastic. It's the restaurant with the yellow awning (?spell).

[mwd]

Yeah, Daikokuya has much better ramen than does Mr. Ramen. If Daikokuya is closed, I'd rather wait for it to open than go to Mr. Ramen. Daikokuya has a rich pork broth that evidences a lot of care and time. The broth at Mr. Ramen is, well, just broth -- not Cup Noodle broth, certainly, but only a few steps above a canned product. They're really nice at Mr. Ramen, and have other dishes worth trying out, but for ramen, just walk a few doors up to Daikokuya.

[AlantheAss]

Daikokuya is better. Mr. Ramen does open all afternoon long while Daiki does close for a few hours in the afternoon. I still would wait until they open for ramen at 5pm. After all, who eat at 4pm anyways?

[katkoupai]

I haven't been to Mr. Ramen, but I do eat at 4PM.

[J.L.]

I don't think Daikokuya was open back in 2004 (the date of the original post).

I went there several years ago and wasn't very impressed. I thought it tasted too much like Chinese soup noodles.

Like Chinese soup noodles in what way? Please do bear in mind that in Japan, ramen is chuka ryori--Chinese food, though typically it is Japanized with the inclusion of nonChinese ingredients or seasonings.

Yes, I know it is considered Chinese food. But by your own admission, it is "Japanized"; therefore, I expect it to have a noticeable difference in flavor from Chinese soup noodles. But from what I can remember, it tasted more like soup noodles my parents would make. And the noodles themselves were perhaps overcooked or something, they seemed softer than ramen noodles I have at other places.

But it's just a vague recollection, so that's about as specific as I can get. I mostly remember just being very unimpressed. But I could be way off from normal with regards to what I like - I didn't think Ramenya was as great as most Chowhounders do either (good, but not spectacular). I prefer Hanaichimonme (which is never mentioned here, so I'm thinking most Chowhounders don't care for it), but I was a little disappointed the last time I went there. I thought Asahi Ramen was pretty good as well. I'll have to try Daikokuya (sp?) sometime soon, though it sounds like an unfamiliar style for me.

[burntwater]

JC, I'm curious, between Asahi Ramen and Ramenya which one do you prefer. I've tried both many times and have a clear winner in my mind. I'm interested in trying the place you mentioned Hanaichimonme but would like to get a better feel for what your taste is.

Thanks