After the adventure that was the the Great Race, we went to Studio City to check out Ramen Jinya.
They're known for their tonkotsu ramen, which has a thick broth made from boiling pork bones and fat over high heat for hours (this is then combined with miso or dashi, depending on the dish), and also typically uses thin noodles. Jinya offers four types of tonkotsu ramen, and each is named and modeled after the tonkotsu from four regions of Japan: Hakata, Yokohama, Kyoto and Sapporo.
In addition, Jinya has fried chicken ramen, tomato ramen, mushroom ramen (on the special menu that day) and a completely vegetarian ramen made with veggie broth. And they serve sushi, too.
We started our meal with some gyoza.
This was hands-down the best gyoza I've ever had in my life. It was remarkably light -- not at all what you'd expect from fried food. The outside was crisp, and the inside was fluffy. I could've eaten four more plates -- so delicious!
And then the main event arrived. All four of us ordered the Hakata ramen -- the menu said they only make 20 bowls each day, so we absolutely couldn't resist.
I also added corn and egg to my bowl. (Look at that egg! Isn't it gorgeous?)
The verdict? Fantastic. The broth was creamy and comforting without feeling fatty, and the chashu was like meat butter -- it just melted away. (If you're going to eat meat and gluten, it might as well be awesome, right?)
We were tempted to come back later that night to try more of the menu (another plus about Jinya: they're open until midnight), but then Shaya turned us on to Darya and gave us a primer in Persian food. (New to me: Raw onion as a condiment, brought out alongside a basket of flatbread. And did you know sumac can be used as a seasoning? All this time I thought it just made you itchy!)
I ordered the bademjan. (Also new to me: Saying the word "bademjan" out loud. Shaya said I sounded cute. I bet this meant I sounded like a toddler.)
Delicious!
1 comment
Amazing.
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