Tsujita is a well known mini franchise that’s popular both in Tokyo and LA. It’s hilarious, because when we live in Tokyo, Tsujita is just our neighborhood ramen shop (along with many, many others). All of their branches specialize in different styles of ramen, but Tsujita’s main attraction is tsukemen, or dipping ramen. Mike had the tsukemen and it’s one of his top ten bowls. The noodles are thick, bouncy, and served with a wedge of sudachi lime. The dipping broth is super flavorful and full of bits of pork. When you finish your noodles, if you hold your bowl up, the staff will fill it up with hot unseasoned broth and you can drink the soup. Pictured here is their regular bowl of ramen, which was what I had. I like tsukemen, but usually, given a choice, I’ll go for regular ramen.
Mentsudan
Ramen always gets all the love, but give me a bowl of udon any day and I’ll be a happy camper. Menstudan, like so many other udon bars in the city, is an unassuming affair where you walk up to the counter, order your noodles, then head to the tempura bar to pick out your toppings. No big deal, right? Yes, and no – the noodles are hand made in store and the tempura, if you time it right, is hot and fresh. Bonus, there’s a DIY beer pouring machine that’s a little bit of extra fun.
