TSUKE Artisan Noodle — Restaurant in San Gabriel

UPDATED Several months after writing my prior 1-star review, specifically lamenting the fact that this restaurant charges for spicy takana, a condiment akin to soy sauce or black pepper, I received a message via Yelp from the proprietors, advising me that they have changed their policy. They also invited me back for a free bowl of tsukemen.

I did not take up on their offer, because 1. there are already too many fake reviews online and 2. my review was not to get free food like some budding tiktok influencers. Nonetheless, I am impressed by their willingness to change direction based on feedback, and their tenacity of reaching out to their detractors. Thus, I have visited twice to observe the change they promised.

Well I am happy to say that the spicy takana is indeed back on the table. This alone already brings the rating back to 3 stars. However, I have also observe numerous improvements that has brought them back to 5, the rating any Tsujita branch (yes even the ones in mall food courts in Japan ok?) deserves.

Food: the temperature request for the noodles are now handled properly; the egg can now be safely called soft boiled; and the soup base has maintained its rich flavor found at Sawtelle. The one topping/item I cannot comment on was the chashu, as I have the ajitama tsukemen instead on both recent visits.

Service: notably there was less staff than during the opening, now down to 2 fellas, but they are hustling just the same. In fact it felt like it was less chaotic and more organized to just have 2 servers. During our latest meal, one of them brought us more napkins without being asked. Unbeknownst to us, my partner has dropped his original napkin on the floor and didn't notice. This is the kind of proactive service that I have already been conditioned to not expect from a fast casual establishment. Kudos to that young fella.

So in summary, I am happy to say that Tsujita @ San Gabriel has earned back my patronage, and the 5-star rating, and I am overjoyed to have a legit tsukemen place much closer than Sawtelle.

Let me get my biggest complaint out of the way: they are charging money for spicy takana. Before you tell me that is okay, imagine if a Chinese restaurant charging you for soy sauce, or a burger restaurant charging you for ketchup, or a sul lung tang restaurant charging you for salt. Spicy takana is NOT a topping, it is a condiment. Of course they are free to charge whatever they want for however much they want, but we as consumers must draw a line somewhere, and this is where I personally would draw mine.

Otherwise, this location deserves three stars - the tsukemen would rank below the Sawtelle location but well above the Fairfax one (they used to reheat soup base there). It might be because they have only opened for 2 weeks when we visited, but they seem to have trouble handling hot/warm noddle requests (yes I know that is not the default, but people do make such requests and it can be successfully provided at the Sawtelle location). The soup base appears the same, at least I cannot tell any difference. The egg was not soft-boiled. It was overcooked and cold when served, and it was served with the noodles instead of in the soup base. The chashu was equally disappointing as you probably can already tell just by looking at the photo.

The staff was hustling non-stop so service was a highlight.

So until they put a jar of spicy takana back on the table or at least make it available upon request, I...

Tasty Dipping Ramen

On my 3rd day in LA, my bro brought me to Tsujita, claiming it's the best dipping ramen in the neighborhood. Since I hadn't tried dipping ramen before, and considering the winter chill, it seemed like the perfect choice.

The highlight, the dipping ramen, was indeed excellent. The Chashu pork slices were big, thick, and tender, melting in your mouth, accompanied by a slice of lime and perfect temperature Ajitsuke tamako. Dipping these into the thick and flavorful bonito dashi created an amazing experience.

As I followed my brother's lead, the enjoyment was real. However, after a while, I found the soup a bit salty and overly thick. My brother, seemingly noticing my expression, advised me, 'Just dip and slurp the noodle. Don't drink the soup just yet. After finishing the noodle, you can add a bit of the hot light soup to dilute the thickness, and then it's time to finish it.' Wow, what the thought I followed his procedure.

However, when I finished the noodle and asked the server to add more light soup, I received only a small amount of the same salty soup from the beginning.

My bro was a bit confused too, as the outcome didn't meet our expectations. Anyway, feeling quite full, we decided to call it a day.

Overall, dining at Tsujita was a good experience. The food was delicious, and did I mention you should try the Chicken Karaage as well? Yes, you should!

The chicken was crispy on the outside, while still moist and juicy inside. The batter wasn't too thick, allowing the chicken taste to shine through.

If I could suggest improvements, I would recommend offering a hot spice alternative to the hot and spicy veggies on the table. Additionally, the busboys could improve by cleaning up tables more promptly. I noticed dirty dishes on another table for over 10 minutes. I understand they are busy, but adding more staff could enhance the dining...

My girlfriend and I came here with an open mind as we used to come here ALL THE TIME when it used to be Killer Noodle (which we absolutely love!), so we decided to give this place a try. We noticed that there was about an hour long wait, which we thought was a good sign since it was so packed.

As we entered, we were seated and given our menu's. We let our server know that it was our first time there, so they recommended the Deluxe Tsukemen as they explained it was their most popular dish. My girlfriend and I both ordered it.

The service was great and quick. We both enjoyed how attentive the workers were, so there were no complaints about that. However, when we received our dish and were both ready to dive in, I noticed something fishy with the first taste of broth I took. I asked the server what the broth contained, and that was when he told me that it was a pork broth that also contianed fish. I really wish he would've mentioned that from the beginning, as I do not like fish at all. So to make up for it, he switched it for the Chashu Tonkatsu Ramen. The Ramen itself was really salty rather than having flavor, and I wish there were more topping options (such as cilantro or poached egg). My girlfriend thought her dish was subpar. She also felt hers tasted really salty and lacked that "wow" factor.

Needless to say, our expereince here was truly not the best. I understand that this is a more "traditional" ramen spot than Killer Noodle, but we truly enjoyed it so much more before it changed to Tsjuita LA. It would've been cool to see a fusion of both Killer Noodle & Tsujita LA, so that people who enjoyed one or the other would...