Umenoya Jiro-kei place in Torrance, CA

Courtesy of my friend K-san (in Tokyo)...

http://rocketnews24.com/2013/06/11/338912/

http://www.yelp.com/biz/umenoya-torrance

Tairyuken/Ebisu太龍軒/恵比寿

A new shop located on Komazawa Dori, near the Starbucks and umpteen horumon places near Ebisu Station. Same general shop layout, machine and advertisement format as Mita Seimen Sho down the street to the west, leading me to think that possibly the two shops are related, although I have no direct evidence of that. Opened in February and gave special discounts for the first week or so. Medium-thickness tonkotsu ramen with just a bit of shoyu in it. Volume good. Broth was so-so. The noodles were like spaghetti, slightly translucent and extremely straight, all sticking together in parallel as they come up from the bowl. The Pork was cold-cut, relatively little fat, but unspectacular. Interesting and maybe adds another tonkotsu place to the Ebisu ramen scene but not worth a special trip.

Update 2013-06-08 - Tairyuken has a new Jiro-like "stamina dish" that comes with free rice if you want it. Initial indications from the team is that it is ma-ma...



Amasan blog page
Google Maps

Yume Wo Katare/Boston夢を語れ/ボストン

Can you believe it? We now have the first Jiro-style ramen place in the US that I am aware of. I'm suprised it's not in LA but they seem to be doing pretty well so far where they are. Here's the whole story at Keiko-san's blog:

http://japaneseamericaninboston.blogspot.com/2012/10/everything-you-need-to-know-about-yume.html

and another blog:

http://bunnyandporkbelly.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/ramen-on-steroids-yumewokatare-porter-square-boston-ma/

It's run by the people who used to own this one in Kyoto:

http://pigly.fc2web.com/umaimon/yumeokatare/1.htm

We now have a Jiro-kei place in the US! Subarashii!

Kazuki/Ebisu香月/恵比寿

  

Yet another report from our intrepid Team Ebisu - this time they've travelled over to the east side of the station to check out the new Kazuki ramen, this is the new honten, after it was on the other side of the station on the north side of Komazawa-dori, just past the drug store. It has thin noodles and a soft tonkotsu taste with some oil - according to them the taste is unchanged. The price of 800 yen wasn't bad for the size and taste, however they wish it had some more toppings though. In any case worth trying, next to Kimukatsu and near where Chomoranma used to be before it moved to the other side of the station.

Kazuki Ebisu's English web page is not accurate so do not look at it.

Google Maps

Junren/Ebisu純連/恵比寿

  
 

Another report from our intrepid Team Ebisu. A new branch of Sapporo Junren opened on the east side of JR Ebisu Station, just down the block from one of our existing favorites Kamachi.

Pluses include it being a new place, very clean. Taste was good. Karamiso very spicy. Slices of chashu quite thick. Minuses include the price, for one person the miso chashu with hanjyuku tamago was 1350 yen. Wow, that's high, almost USD $20. Hard to justify that for lunch.

Google Maps

Ebisu Shop Branch Page

Hong Kong Ramen #1

Although I know much less about ramen in HK then I do about ramen in Japan, I have started to go to ramen shops frequently enough on my trips to HK over the last few years to see that:

1 - a small ramen culture is starting to appear (in a city that is well-known for food and devotion to it)
2 - more ramen shops are appearing, some due to the Japanese influence (every time I go to HK I swear I see more Japanese signage and shops)
3 - the quality of them appears to be increasing

As of today I have been to:

Yokozuna (Mongkok)
Santouka (TST)
Kakurega
Butao (Causeway Bay)
Hide-Chan
several places in the Sheung Wan area
Ippudo
Ippei-an

Kakurega is the best so far.

Kamakura/Ebisu神座/恵比寿

 

 






Chotto hisashiburi dessho ka. Although I have not posted very frequently since leaving Japan, I stil keep in touch occasionally with my former ramen comrades in and outside of work. WHen they send me notable ramen information, I will post it as appropriate.


Although easy to understand visually, this use of the "kamakura" compound is a very odd kanji compound that does not appear right away in many dictionaries. It is not the same as the town of the same name (the one with the Big Buddha).


This article is about the newly-opened (April 2012) branch of Kamakura ramen. This is one of a chain of about 25 branches, most of which are in the Osaka area. On the same back street to the west of Ebisu Station, the back street that has the Keijyo yakuniku place, and my former favorite discount barbershop on the corner (above the "Curry and Food Bar"), you will find Kamakura. The word from my intrepid coworkers is that while it has a varied menu, it was nothing special. It was good, but did not make a deep impression on them. Pictures are courtesy of them.


Google Maps

Ebisu Shop Announcement Page