Men Oh Tokushima Ramen — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Men Oh Tokushima Ramen took a second to find. I actually walked by it without realizing it the first time. The signs were a bit hidden, and the white over the windows made it look like the surrounding walls. But, find it I did.

The inside was cozy. A section off to the left with tables for 4 and groups. To the right, the bar, where I ended up sitting. There was Japanese music playing. A crazy mix of pop, classic, and rock that I had grown quite used to when I lived in Japan. I was a bit surprised that the TV didn't have NHK playing. But, they did have a lot of the stylized beer posters for Sapporo chilling on some walls. Definitely a Japanese vibe with an LA bent.

The menu was pretty simple. Mostly Tonkotsu or bust. Which was fine for me since I'm a huge fan of the deep savory flavors that the style is know for. I believe their was a sides menu on the other side, but I didn't see many people ordering from it. I opted for their signature dish, the Tokushima Ramen. Though, the Spicy Tonkotsu was close second.

I didn't have to wait too long. Nowhere near as fast as you get it in Japan, it still came out pretty quick. There was enough time to catch a couple commercial breaks on TV, sip through some water, have a couple nostalgia trips as songs I recognized played, and then it was set in front of me.

The broth was solid. I was hit with a nice complex mix of spice and cream, and with a solid bite from the tsukemono, amazing. Noodles were a straighter variety, and cooked just right with a good firmness to them. The chunks of meat, I have to be honest, were only so-so. From how bold the broth was I was surprised at the lack of competition, no counterpoints to contrast. Just, really well cooked meat. The umami was solid, but...I hoped for a little more.

About this time my neighbors Spicy Tonkotsu showed up and I was tempted to take a quick snap. But his appetite was faster than my reactions. So, that just gives me a reason to come back and try another of their ramens.

What I had with the Tokushima Special Was definitely tasty and I have no regrets about it. Good to the last drop. I kinda made the people sitting on my other side gasp by how fast I ate it. I guess they'd never been to Japan. I'm a slowpoke compared to my old co-workers. The stories I could tell about eating out there...

I'll probably hold off on coming back here until I've tried some other places. The meat as well as the price also got me a little bit. I suppose it's normal for that part of town, but $11.75 was a little much for me when I could just hop over to another Ramen shop I know of and get the same level for $9.50. The crew at the shop was great though. Service with a smile and no problems I heard of while...

Some call Men Oh Tokushima Ramen the new Ramen King in Little Tokyo. I doubt this is true, but I gave it a try anyway.

Came in for a weekday lunch at noon. There is a line if you want tables, but there is seating at the bar. The only TV in the restaurant showed sport channels, including the Lakers game. Service was excellent, staff was friendly, however they speak mostly English.

Their most popular dish is no doubt the Tokushima Ramen.

The Broth Soy sauce at the top with a pork bone base makes a very strong flavor, more than what I'd like. .

The Noodle Similar to the Hakata Ramen, not as tasty as the Daikokuya one, which is more chewy.

Butabara Pork Belly and Chashu Typical, yummy Chashu, plus an added big bonus, tender pork belly, which makes it stand out from other places.

Boiled Eg The boiled egg was very good, on par with DK except there's only half an egg.

Tips: Be aware that the prices on the website are only for the Bay Area. They do not serve raw egg in the ramen at this location. Parking in the plaza can cost like $4 for 2 hours.

Daikokuya is still the Ramen King in this location. But those who like Hakata ramen should definitely gave this place a try, since it tastes very similar except with added pork belly. Hakata ramen gives you validated parking and is like $2 cheaper but no egg or pork belly is...

Understand that depending on what prefecture the ramen comes from, it will taste different and may not "meet" the expectation that you got from another restaurant.

That being said, this place is has a style of ramen from the western part of Shikoku island. Different from Hakata style like Shinsengumi and or Dosanko miso style of Hokkaido or Tokyo Yatai style ramen, or chanpon, or shio etc. Tokushima style is a kotteri or thicker broth with a sweet baraniku or spare rib meat instead of the traditional chashu. This place serves an ajitama or flavored medium boiled egg but the traditional tokushima uses a raw egg, which may be off-putting to most customers here. When you come to this place, don't just try the Tonkotsu ramen, which isn't bad, but I encourage you to try the Tokushima style ramen. You can't get that ramen anywhere else but here that I know of. The broth is different because of the baraniku, the noodle is characteristically shorter, and the broth is creamier (kotteri). Just like northern and southern Italian cuisine, ramen is different too. So comparisons may not be appropriate unless you know what kind of restaurant you are walking into.

Long post, but I figured people that love ramen would...