Asa Ramen: 2nd Mix
Before I leave for Michigan tomorrow and explore the midwest, I thought it'd be nice to go get some ramen. Santouka is obviously my favorite, but I've always wanted to try Asa again. Last time I went was after the ramen article in the Times, so it was really crowded and maybe their quality slipped.
I went in and ordered their Kotteri Shoyu Ramen with butter and extra chashu, and mochi cheese takoyaki. After taking a sip of the broth, I was like, WOW. This is some strong ass stuff! But after a while it got kinda annoying because it would keep hitting you with that flavor, and it kinda hurt after a while; I'll try the assari broth next time. I still maintain that their noodles are the best; unlike other ramen places, these are locally sourced and hand made. The chashu was kinda disappointing. It looks pretty with its ribbons of fat, but it seems overcooked and not very tender. I wanted to get an egg, but it wasn't on the menu; but then I heard you could've requested egg. Ah well. So in my bowl was some negi, 3 pieces of chashu, some butter, and 2 bamboo shoots. Once you start adding more toppings, it doesn't seem as cheap anymore.
Oddly, after I was done with my bowl, I was still hungry. A bowl of Santouka Chashu or Toroniku Shio fills me up right, but Asa's did not. Either Santouka's broth is richer, or that bowl is much deeper than it looks.
Takoyaki was decent. I think I made a mistake getting the mochi cheese. I liked it in my monjayaki but it didn't really taste like anything in the takoyaki. Still, I love the texture, so next time I'll just get the regular style.
I want to come back just to try the Assari-style Ramen.
The plaza itself is pretty nice. You got Sanuki no Sato right next to it, the best Udon place in LA. There's Sen Nari sushi, which is pretty average (and average in LA is pretty hard to get) and I also discovered Bonjour Bakery, a French-style Bakery not unlike Chantilly Patisserie. I got a sublime mocha cake from there to share with my family. So at the very least, you can pick up great dessert.
Actually, at this point in time, I could even go back to Asa Ramen for round 2, but that ain't gonna happen.
I went in and ordered their Kotteri Shoyu Ramen with butter and extra chashu, and mochi cheese takoyaki. After taking a sip of the broth, I was like, WOW. This is some strong ass stuff! But after a while it got kinda annoying because it would keep hitting you with that flavor, and it kinda hurt after a while; I'll try the assari broth next time. I still maintain that their noodles are the best; unlike other ramen places, these are locally sourced and hand made. The chashu was kinda disappointing. It looks pretty with its ribbons of fat, but it seems overcooked and not very tender. I wanted to get an egg, but it wasn't on the menu; but then I heard you could've requested egg. Ah well. So in my bowl was some negi, 3 pieces of chashu, some butter, and 2 bamboo shoots. Once you start adding more toppings, it doesn't seem as cheap anymore.
Oddly, after I was done with my bowl, I was still hungry. A bowl of Santouka Chashu or Toroniku Shio fills me up right, but Asa's did not. Either Santouka's broth is richer, or that bowl is much deeper than it looks.
Takoyaki was decent. I think I made a mistake getting the mochi cheese. I liked it in my monjayaki but it didn't really taste like anything in the takoyaki. Still, I love the texture, so next time I'll just get the regular style.
I want to come back just to try the Assari-style Ramen.
The plaza itself is pretty nice. You got Sanuki no Sato right next to it, the best Udon place in LA. There's Sen Nari sushi, which is pretty average (and average in LA is pretty hard to get) and I also discovered Bonjour Bakery, a French-style Bakery not unlike Chantilly Patisserie. I got a sublime mocha cake from there to share with my family. So at the very least, you can pick up great dessert.
Actually, at this point in time, I could even go back to Asa Ramen for round 2, but that ain't gonna happen.