Little Tokyo: Hachioji Craft Ramen

 

Hachioji Craft Ramen recently opened a few doors down from Daikokuya. But don’t worry, they’re not in direct competition as they’re the same restaurant group. And Hachioji serves ramen with a chicken broth base topped with duck slices. No pork ramen here*! The other other option is a vegan ramen.

 

 

I’m a big fan of fried chicken which is odd for someone who tries to avoid skin (of any sort) but I do have a weakness for good and juicy chicken. The fried chicken (karaage) at Hachioji was pretty good. Big pieces and well fried. It’s not the kind you’d think about a five hours much less a week later but then I’d rather have this fried chicken than no fried chicken.

 

 

Wait, hold up. What is this nonsense? Gyoza sticks!? That’s right, Hachioji is serving gyoza as rolled up sticks which makes them long skinny egg rolls or possibly Asian breadsticks? In any case, they were still very tasty with a little soy and Japanese mustard.

 

My friend had the shio ramen. I’m generally not a fan of salt-based broths. She liked it and it wasn’t just salty water but I suppose the chicken broth was just that good.

 

Being the healthy sort (cough, snicker), I ordered a salad. It turns out it was covered in a creamy dressing with a ton of corn. It was also straight from the cold case so I’d skip this next time.

 

 

I had the shoyu ramen which I liked better than the broth for shio. Although it’s chicken based, the broth wasn’t that light. I felt the body was much fuller than expected but also possibly because I did blend in the grated daikon. The ramen was topped by three duck slices. This doesn’t sound like a lot but it was the right amount with the full-flavored broth and noodles.

 

On another visit I tried the Hachioji dry ramen. Earlier I mentioned there is no pork ramen. That is not quite tree. The dry ramen features pork. You’re encouraged to mix the raw egg into the dish before eating. I enjoyed the generous amount of preserved veggies, shredded seaweed and grated daikonn. It didn’t feel heavy at all and this would be a good dish on a hot day.

 

Hachioji Craft Ramen

313 E 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012  —  (213) 265-7799

 

 

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