A New Challenger Has Appeared
This one’s for all you tsukemen enthusiasts and/or loyal Tsujita lovers living in the LA area. A new challenger has appeared. DTLA Ramen is a new ramen shop that has opened in Downtown LA off of Broadway and Olympic. When we found out they do a tsukemen which one person noted on Yelp “gave Tsujita a run for its money,” we knew we had to try it. Immediately.
The restaurant itself is medium-sized with a host standing to the immediate left of the entrance. This is how the system works: you enter the restaurant, place your older with the host at the entrance, get a number, then seat yourself at the bar or a table. This experience sort of, kind of mimics the DIY nature of ramen shops in Japan where you place your order at a vending machine right before you enter the restaurant, grab your tickets, then seat yourself. Although we appreciate the sentiment of channeling traditional Japanese ramen shops, it feels a bit forced because the restaurant is so big and once you walk through the doors, you’re supposed to order immediately. Again, typical of a Ramen shop in Japan, but in LA… eh.
After you place your order, you can help yourself to some iced green or rooibos tea. They have two large jugs sitting out for anyone to help themselves to. We indulged in their iced green tea which was quite delicious for being free. Definitely a nice touch in addition to having a jar of hair ties and “aprons” set out for customers to take as needed.
We ordered their tsukemen with a side of chashu and their takoyaki with the ponzu oroshi sauce. Something to note: the tsukemen does not come with chashu and when we asked for it, the person taking our order seemed very confused and insisted that chashu with tsukemen is not typically how it’s served (*it totally is). On the menu, the tsukemen is served with “shredded pork” which actually means the broth comes with chunks of chashu. So, if you’re feeling extra carnivorous, be sure to ask for a side of chashu ‘cause it’s super bomb and worth it.
The takoyaki was delicious but served pretty untraditionally. It was topped with finely chopped onion, green onion, strips of seaweed and no bonito or Japanese mayo. We ordered it with a ponzu sauce which is not what takoyaki is typically served with, but it sounded delicious and it totally lived up to our expectations. The takoyaki is soft and doughy on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside. The balls totally sopped up the bath of sauce on the bottom which was sooo tasty. The onions were an interesting topping, but not overpowering since they probably soaked them in water beforehand. Definitely a must try here!
And now onto the star of the meal. If any of you know us, you know we love our tsukemen and you know how faithful we are to Tsujita. We came in with a tsukemen standard informed by the masters at Tsujita, Ginza Oborodzuki and Fu-unji and high expectations based on DTLA Ramen’s Yelp page. Let’s just say, we were not disappointed. The tsukemen is served on a wooden tray with a boiling bowl of broth and a bowl of thick noodles topped with a mound of green onion, bamboo, and a nifty metal lime squeezer so you never have to get your hands lime-y. The broth is thick, dank, very flavorful and served in a scalding hot clay pot, kind of similar to what Korean sundubu-jjigae is served in. The noodles were a nice thickness, but a little bit on the softer side and not quite as springy as they should be. Also, if you’re not a fan of green onion, you should definitely make it a point to ask for them on the side because they’re pretty heavy handed with the green onion at DTLA Ramen.
The chashu served at DTLA Ramen definitely holds a candle to the chashu at Tsujita. You can tell it’s been marinated for a generous amount of time and is very tender. Again, we compared their chashu with Tsujitas and noted that DTLA Ramen’s chashu is much leaner than Tsujita’s and had more of a strong and delicious marinated taste. In addition to the unique chashu, something that DTLA Ramen does that we haven’t seen before is an “Injected Egg,” a soft boiled egg injected with soy sauce. The name itself is quite odd, but the taste is very savory, rich and delicious.
Naturally, we immediately compared DTLA Ramen’s tsukemen to the king of tsukemen in the LA area: Tsujita. While the broth was flavorful, it didn’t quite have the depth and complexity of flavor that Tsujita’s broth has to offer. We weren’t hit with that coat-your-mouth fatty, pungent, and dank dank that Tsujita’s broth accomplishes. The noodles were also a little overcooked for our liking and didn’t retain the springiness that is so essential to dipping style ramen. The prices are about the same; however, for the same price at Tsujita, you are given 5 pieces of fatty, delicious pieces of chashu instead of a mound of marinated bamboo and green onion. DTLA Ramen is obviously a clear and worthy competitor of Tsujita. However, we believe that the claims that it gives Tsujita “a run for it’s money” should be taken with a grain of salt. It comes close, but doesn’t dethrone the true champion of ramen in Los Angeles.
DTLA Ramen
952 S Broadway St
Los Angeles, CA 90015
