The Minty

Writing about Daikokuya is sort of like writing about McDonald’s. Most ramen fanatics have a favorite ramen-ya. There are your Team Santouka fans and then there are your Team Daikokuya buddies. I view them as two really different bowls of ramen. But considering Daikokuya has comforted me on many chilly evenings (and some hot summer days), I’m more of a Daikokuya fan.

However, trying to get into the Little Tokyo location (and excuse the delicate phrase) is a bitch. They are packed with good reason. I have waited an hour or more just to grub. I usually get a bowl of ramen plus the salmon roe rice combination.

half ramen with small bowl of salmon roe rice

After having delicious ramen at the LA Street Food Fest from Jinya, I really wanted a big bowl of ramen. My stomach protested and we settled on a half-bowl with a small bowl of salmon roe rice. Minty 1, Stomach 1- it’s a tie!

I had heard about the new location in Arcadia (situated in a food court) and though I had some misgivings (and some remembered warnings about the Monterey Park location), I went ahead and ordered up some food.

Daikokuya ramen with extra fatty broth

Taste? Nearly the same. Okay, so the broth wasn’t as fatty as I recalled (and I even ordered the extra fatty broth. It was still pretty damn good. However, if I found myself in the area again, I’d probably try an obscene noodles crawl and hit up the other counters at this food court.

salmon roe don

And the salmon roe rice? Still good, still have no idea how to eat it. Would it be strange to drizzle wasabi-soy on the rice? There’s a part of me that screams no. So, I had taken to dipping my chopsticks in the sauce mix before carefully sliding a few salmon roe into my mouth while trying to eat as little rice as possible. I mean, c’mon, I have noodles to finish!

Oh, and that cole slaw type stuff? Way too much dressing but somehow you don’t care and finish it anyway.

I might have to change up my order. More pork, please!

Daikokuya