HiroNori Craft Ramen — Restaurant in Monterey Park

While running errands on a rainy afternoon in Los Angeles with my 80 year old mom who is currently recovering from chemo, we decided to stop and get ramen at a new place not far from her home. The restaurant is tucked off the main road - Garvey Ave - on a side street - Rural Dr. I think if they could put an eye catching A frame by the mechanic’s shop on the corner of Garvey and Rural, more people would be aware there’s a ramen place behind the main street. You order from the counter and pay first before you go select a table. It was our first time and the gentleman behind the counter Wilson was kind and patient and explained the limited menu with a tablet he used to show photos of the menu items which was very helpful for my mom. They do not currently accept cash, Apple Pay or Google Pay and I’m not sure if that will change. Mom got the shoyu ramen and I got the tonkotsu ramen. When your order is ready, they call your name and you need to go grab your tray(s) of food to bring to your table. I was ready to grab one tray at a time to bring to the table but Wilson insisted on helping which was very sweet of him. The shoyu ramen and the tonkotsu ramen did not disappoint. For $15 a bowl, the pieces of pork belly and sous vide pork loin were plentiful, the broth flavorful but not too salty (important to an 80 year old’s satisfaction), the noodles were cooked to al dente and the egg had a satisfying custardly jammy yolk. Both broths were accented with spinach, bean sprouts, green onions and bamboo shoots. The tonkotsu also comes with a piece of seaweed. The water and tea are complimentary on the counter in beverage dispensers. I splurged and got the non-alcoholic yuzu piña colada and it was cool and refreshing reminding me of summer on a rainy autumn day. They make their own complimentary Sriracha and I preferred it to the popular Huy Fong Sriracha. All in all, very reasonably priced, great service and quick. I hope the word gets out so it can become a staple in mom’s...

One of the more unique Ramen stores in LA right now. Tried the cold noodles and the shoyu ramen. Let me just say, this is not your standard ramen experience so come expecting different. It's a great place and I'm glad it's open! Overall, you'll find yourself enjoying high quality noodles and an excellent meal. Come soon before it gets busy.

Let's start with the cold noodles. The noodles themselves are cooked to perfection and the toppings are amazing. The pork was cooked to an excellent texture and perfectly seasoned. The star is the dipping sauce. It's cool, refreshing, lightly citrus-y and overall a special culinary experience. Highly recommend it if you are looking for something to cool down.

The shoyu ramen is basically perfection. Again, the noodles cooked perfectly with the tight texture. The chashu extremely flavorful. The pork bites, the right size and texture. Well seasoned throughout leaving me wanting more of it. The egg was a well executed medium boil with a lightly runny yolk. The star, the ramen broth. This Shoyu broth is not for this who love a heavy and oily broth. This was a delicate broth with a rich flavor that coats the tongue without being overwhelming. It is light and bright but full of umami. One of the best I've had.

The drinks are great if you like yuzu or matcha. The matcha was very simple, not too sweet. It comes with some red bean but I got it without boba. The yuzu Pina colada is super yummy and creamy. It was delicious and almost like an orange julius. The cucumber mint yuzunade is light and delicious and just the right amount of tart. Really refreshing drink.

Next time, I'm coming back to try the mazemen and the curry!

Seating is self-seating so come early. You...

My sister told me about this new ramen place that opened up in Monterey Park so decided to give it a try on a Tuesday night. When we arrived it was still early so not many people were there. You order at the counter and they call your number to pick up. We ordered the Mazemen, Spicy Cold Dipping Noodles and a cucumber mint yuzunade. The hostess was very nice and gave me a free tasting between the yuzunade and the Yuzu pina colada. The cucumber mint yuzunade was definitely way better and very refreshing during the heat wave. We also decided to not try the ramen since it was hot outside. They also had self-serve ice lemon water and ice oolong tea. Since there wasn't a lot of people yet, she was nice enough to bring the food to our table.

Both noodles were pretty good. I had the spicy cold dipping noodle. The dipping sauce had more a Szechuan flavor so it was a mix of Chinese/Japanese flavor in my opinion. Pretty tasty and it was served with ice which was great during a hot day. The ramen soft boil egg was very flavorful, sweet just the way I like it. The bamboo shoots were good too. The pork was more on the fatty side (not to my liking) but overall a good meal. My sister got the mazemen which I also tried. We were told the flavor is all at the bottom to make sure to mix it first. It was pretty tasty as well. Came with a poached egg chashu bites and slices and pineapple which is a nice touch. Prices were decent for the portions. We were stuffed at the end of the meal. Overall I enjoyed this meal. Will be back to try the ramen when its not hot anymore. LOL

Everything was self serve. There is parking on the street and...