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Sunday, February 6, 2011

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

1 comment:

  1. Am I the only one who hasn't visited? hmm... My understanding is this bowl rings true to the ramen also served at Robata Jinya? Which would mean no trek out to Studio City is necessary?

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