Porkin' it Up at Ramen Jinya

I was pretty skeptical of Ramen Jinya when I strode up to this ramen spot that shares space with Marshall's in a Studio City strip mall. I'm used to the frenetic pace and jockeying that comes with ramen at Daikokuya or the Japanese food court aesthetic of Santouka. Instead, Jinya is a bright, modern space with menu items that include California rolls and something called a LaBrea roll.

As is tradition, we started with gyoza, which were nicely fried and flavorful, though not as good as the big, overstuffed dumplings from Daikokuya.

Then came the ramen, I tried for the super-porky hakata, but at 6:00 on a Saturday, they were already out, so I went for the basic tonkotsu ramen with "half cooked" egg.

With the first sip of porky goodness, all of my preconceptions melted away. The broth was truly a thing of beauty, more purely porky than any other ramen I've had in LA. It was bursting with flavor. The other elements: scallions, cha siu and noodles, were all good, but the broth was the star here. I couldn't get enough of it. The half cooked egg, a ramen favorite of mine, is an add-on, but one you should definitely get. The yolk is soft but not runny and the outer egg is pleasingly salty; it blends right in with the ramen.

I put my head down and spooned and slurped, not looking up until I was done. The only thing I was left wondering was if this is the regular broth, what is the hakata like?

I will be back.

Ramen Jinya
11239 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 980-3977