Ramen Rankings and My Ideal Ramen

Woops... just drooled on my keyboard

Alright, I figured I’d take a break from my typical motivational mumbo jumbo and write about another passion of mine: food. In this case, ramen!

After going to Shinsengumi in Torrance this past weekend, I felt I’d been to almost all the notable ramen joints in both norcal and socal, and thus able to write knowledgeably about them.

So… drum roll please. Here are my Ramen Rankings (for 2009 I guess?) judged on an overall basis.

1. Maru Ichi (Kuro flavor)
2. Daikokuya (Kotteri flavor)
3. Ajisen Ramen (Premium pork flavor)
4. Santouka (Toroniku Shio flavor)
5. Ramen Halu
6. Shinsengumi

Of course, there are more ramen places than these, but I felt these were the only ones worth mentioning. Ryowa and other joints like Ramenya… naw.

However, judging on a holistic basis just doesn’t tell the whole story. Some are definitely better in some aspects, while worse in others. So, I’m going to break down my ideal ramen by individual components.

• Soup base: Kuro flavor at Maru Ichi or Kotteri flavor at Daikokuya. (I’m not kidding when I say I had dreams of the Kotteri flavor for days after having it my first time)
• Noodles: the one they have in the Kuro flavor at Maru Ichi (NOT the yellow egg-ish type)
• Egg: Maru Ichi or Daikokya’s (not fully cooked, with the yolk still a little bit runny)
• Chashu meat: Ramen Halu’s (so tender….. it just melts in your mouth) Honorable mention goes to Maru Ichi.
• Extras: green onion, bean sprouts

If I were to recommend one type of ramen above all ramens, it would be Maru Ichi’s Kuro flavor, just because it’s different and not offered anywhere else.

A complaint I have about certain ramen joints are the ones that don’t include extras like eggs and bean sprouts standard. A bowl of ramen is already pretty darn expensive, but adding those on makes it almost ridiculous. Those extras COMPLETE the ramen! It’s like a BMW without the sport package…  just wrong.

Next up: Taiwanese beef noodle soup. If you have to eat, might as well enjoy it, right?