RAKKAN Ramen - Tustin — Restaurant in Tustin

After receiving a contaminated bowl of Ramen I was offered a measly 30% discount on that single bowl of ramen. That's right, I was expected to pay the majority of the price for a CONTAMINATED bowl of ramen. When I explained how that was unacceptable the young lady I spoke to said she needed to communicate with her manager, who then had to get in contact with a separate boss. The whole ordeal was painfully slow and unprofessional, eventually I decided that I had to be stern so I went to the register to explain how I was happy to pay for the rest of the meal but I had no intent of paying for a contaminated dish.

At this point the cook who ruined my food, appetite, and desire to ever return to or recommend this establishment (young woman with tattooed arms one of them being a cross and a terrible attitude) began shaking their head and staring me down. Even after they moved back to the kitchen they would stare at me through the expo window and shake their head at me as if to shame me for not wanting to pay for a contaminated dish. It made me feel threatened and unsafe.

If you want to eat food that has been carefully cooked and assembled for the sake of SAFETY above all then avoid this ramen shop at all costs. Who knows what might end up in your food, the cooks are clearly poorly trained and never supervised. It's a blessing that the contamination wasn't an allergen, I can't imagine what someone would go through if they came to this place expecting a safe meal when the cooks are clearly not interested in the safety of customers.

Updated edit: Do not trust the lying owner replying to me. I ordered a VEGAN bowl and I received a bowl with a piece of chicken in it. That is a contamination point blank period.

The owner is being completely dishonest, yes they comped me two bowls of ramen but that was after I refused to pay 70% for my contaminated meal. I was offered a measly 30% only on my contaminated bowl TWICE, the second time I was shown a laminated piece of paper that stated that this discount was normal procedure.

I did not cause a scene. I politely declined the offered discount and made it clear that I only intended to pay for the bun and the plum wine I ordered.

Shame on you for making such assumptions and openly lying about what your customers do or say without even being present. This was your opportunity to own up to serving me a contaminated meal and then for handling it poorly but you've chosen to double down without having any understanding of what...

We ordered Amber and Spicy Garnet ramen. First, the portion is quite small, I could’ve probably finished in three mouthful.

The broth on both were nothing remarkable, it tasted simple and clean, somewhat blend, but lacked depth in taste profile expected from the Japanese Ramen broth. Other Japanese ramen places take much pride in crafting their broth, they usually ask if we want to take the (if any) remaining broth home.

But the critical issue with Rakkan is the the way ramen noodle is cooked, an equally central component to the dish, the ramen noodle itself was very much undercooked, it was doughy and missing the bounce and the tension. I can assume the chef didn’t have much experience as the kitchen staff appeared to be very young, if not part time students for the summer. I let the staff know about the undercooked noodle and they thanked us for the feedback but no adjustments were offered. As I took another bite, I was wishing for an instant ramen, able to make consistently great taste and texture without culinary training as long as instructions are followed.

Lastly, base toppings were very very basic, tiny bit of onion, bamboo shoot, garlic slices maybe? And two slices of Chashu on the lean side but very thinly sliced.

Overall, I don’t think this is an authentic Japanese ramen place and will not be...

I was a regular in the DTLA’s location before I moved a year ago, and even then I still visited a few times. So in comparison, this one is pretty garbage. The broth here is lacking a lot of depth and completely misses its signature sweet shallot and bonito flavor that actually makes Rakkan better than all other Shoyu ramen store in LA. The broth here taste like it came from instant noodles, not even an exaggeration.

The noodle here also has a soapy flavor for some reason, which is fine for me as a Cantonese because Cantonese are used to soapy taste, but I know many people who hate this soapy flavor.

The presentation here is also quite sloppy compared to the DTLA location. The bowl is dirty and doesn’t look like it’s been washed thoroughly. Small little things like that gets magnified when the food doesn’t meet standard. With that said, I am bitter my #1 favorite ramen shop in the US sinks to instant noodle level.

Last time, the restaurant closed without any notice on google map and only left a note at the door. Whoever manages this restaurant, put an announcement online please. I drove 30 minutes just for this last time.

Nonetheless, this is a disappointment. Let this 2 star be a warning. You guys can do...