On a recent trip to LA I had to hit up popular Daikokuya in Little Tokyo. The reviews on Yelp are spectacular so it was no surprise there was a good 45 min wait on a Monday night just to sit at the counter.
The atmosphere was an interesting mix of American diner and ramen shop. Actually it was pretty close to a diner and a lot less like a ramen shop, but interesting none the less. Unfortunately my decision to go was a last minute one after dinner plans fell thru so I didn't have my camera and my phone was dead so I don't have any pictures :(
Service was efficient and I was issued a relaxed "irasshaimase" by the person seating me. I do love when you get a hearty shout from the kitchen, but that wasn't being served here.
The menu is pretty extensive for a ramen shop, with sashimi, bento boxes and tempura. They have plenty of combo plates which gives you a bowel of ramen, a small (and awesome) salad and a small dish of one of their other dishes. I went with some fried rice since so many people loved it.
I'll say it a again, for a small basic salad, I loved it - the way it was shredded and the dressing it was almost like a slaw. Ok, that's more about salad then I thought I'd ever right.
One really unique feature is you can order extra fat! That seemed like a no brainer. As long as they didn't go all Shin Yokohama Ramen Museum on me (a story for another time, but needless to say WAY too much fat, like an inch of it.) I'm all for it.
So first off - the bowel of ramen is HUGE. I make clean plate every time, but this place has no business serving combo dishes. I was hard pressed to finished my bowl and I am 6' 5" and all stomach.
Noodle: As I was watching the ramen being made, I was a little disappointed to find them coming out of sealed plastic bags. That doesn't scream fresh to me. Sure lots of places don't make their own, but if the place they are getting them from needs to take the time to seal them up, I'm concerned. That said, this is one tasty noodle. Good for them, next time take them out of the plastic in the back and stop screwing up my illusion.
Broth: The (extra fatty) broth unfortunately didn't hold the appeal. The pork taste was lost with the addition of the soy. It a pretty bland broth. When I start reaching for the hot stuff to spice things up, something has gone wrong. Oh well.
Egg: The egg - whole, not sliced could have stood a little more seasoning, but was tasty, though over cooked. I wish just once I'd bite in to a perfectly cooked egg, but it never happens in the states.
Pork: Now we come to the winner of the thinnest sliced pork award. The pork was good, not over cooked, had a decent piece of fat there, but as thin as a piece of paper. It literally disintegrated when I tried to lift it out of the soup. I don't know what that was about, but not a winner in my book.
The extra stuff: Nothing really to mention of note. And the broth could use it.
In the end, a solid showing, but probably won't be back to this LA institution. I'll be back in a few weeks and I'll have to give another place a shot. As I've seen in NYC, long lines don't mean much. My favorite place never has a wait and I've waited for some really sub-par bowls.
The atmosphere was an interesting mix of American diner and ramen shop. Actually it was pretty close to a diner and a lot less like a ramen shop, but interesting none the less. Unfortunately my decision to go was a last minute one after dinner plans fell thru so I didn't have my camera and my phone was dead so I don't have any pictures :(
Service was efficient and I was issued a relaxed "irasshaimase" by the person seating me. I do love when you get a hearty shout from the kitchen, but that wasn't being served here.
The menu is pretty extensive for a ramen shop, with sashimi, bento boxes and tempura. They have plenty of combo plates which gives you a bowel of ramen, a small (and awesome) salad and a small dish of one of their other dishes. I went with some fried rice since so many people loved it.
I'll say it a again, for a small basic salad, I loved it - the way it was shredded and the dressing it was almost like a slaw. Ok, that's more about salad then I thought I'd ever right.
One really unique feature is you can order extra fat! That seemed like a no brainer. As long as they didn't go all Shin Yokohama Ramen Museum on me (a story for another time, but needless to say WAY too much fat, like an inch of it.) I'm all for it.
So first off - the bowel of ramen is HUGE. I make clean plate every time, but this place has no business serving combo dishes. I was hard pressed to finished my bowl and I am 6' 5" and all stomach.
Noodle: As I was watching the ramen being made, I was a little disappointed to find them coming out of sealed plastic bags. That doesn't scream fresh to me. Sure lots of places don't make their own, but if the place they are getting them from needs to take the time to seal them up, I'm concerned. That said, this is one tasty noodle. Good for them, next time take them out of the plastic in the back and stop screwing up my illusion.
Broth: The (extra fatty) broth unfortunately didn't hold the appeal. The pork taste was lost with the addition of the soy. It a pretty bland broth. When I start reaching for the hot stuff to spice things up, something has gone wrong. Oh well.
Egg: The egg - whole, not sliced could have stood a little more seasoning, but was tasty, though over cooked. I wish just once I'd bite in to a perfectly cooked egg, but it never happens in the states.
Pork: Now we come to the winner of the thinnest sliced pork award. The pork was good, not over cooked, had a decent piece of fat there, but as thin as a piece of paper. It literally disintegrated when I tried to lift it out of the soup. I don't know what that was about, but not a winner in my book.
The extra stuff: Nothing really to mention of note. And the broth could use it.
In the end, a solid showing, but probably won't be back to this LA institution. I'll be back in a few weeks and I'll have to give another place a shot. As I've seen in NYC, long lines don't mean much. My favorite place never has a wait and I've waited for some really sub-par bowls.
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