DTLA: Tan Tan Men at Anzutei Ramen
karaage
Anzutei opened a few months ago but I finally had a chance to check it out this week. With the deluge of rain, El Nino has me craving noodle soups. Well, I lie, I eat noodle soups any chance I get. But it is unusual I didn’t jump over there immediately. There’s been huge upsurge of new ramen spots in Los Angeles and in particular, Downtown Los Angeles. I really can’t keep up with all the new openings (though I try very hard!). I’m glad I got to check out Anzutei for their tan tan men. I’ve never been to Japan but I imagine Anzutei as the sort of ramen-ya you’d find there. It’s very small and quite cramped but everyone is cheerful and friendly.
We ordered the karaage to share. The three plump and juicy pieces of fried chicken came with a little dish of seasoned salt. After squeezing some fresh lemon juice on, we sprinkled on the salt. You really don’t need it but hey, extra sodium means extra flavor.
ramen
My friend had their basic ramen which comes with a not-so-basic huge chunk of pork. Some might describe this as a Tokyo ramen you eat very quickly on your way somewhere. Anzutei makes their broth from both pork and chicken bones.
tan tan men
I wanted the tan tan men because that’s one of my favorites. Anzutei’s broth is so thick! It was really amazing with lots of sansho (Sichuan pepper). It’s served with a couple pieces of bok choy and ground chicken. I debated if I wanted to add even more ground meat on but the side of ground pork wasn’t worth it to me. But maybe a piece of pork next time.
oh, there’s the ground chicken
I’m interested in coming back for the miso ramen. I overheard someone ask about the spicy ramen and the server said it’s really spicy and if they wanted just a bit of spice, to get the tan tan men. Ah! I got the right one then.
For all your rainy day ramen cravings, head over to Anzutei. They also do take-out so that’s a good option if you live in the area. I’m just so happy I don’t have to go all the way to Little Tokyo (being on the other side of DTLA is hard sometimes) for good ramen.
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