Joan in Arcadia

Okay, I’m not from Arcadia, like the show Joan of Arcadia (that’s set in Maryland). But I was in Arcadia, California. Haha. That was lame. Anyways…

Sean told me about a place in Arcadia that his boss Angela recommended, Ramen Yukinoya. Somehow I’ve never heard of it even after having done Google searches for ramen in the area. I don’t think this place has been around for that long. It’s too bad that Pasadena, where I work, doesn’t have an actual ramen house, so I was glad to know that there is a ramen house 10 minutes away!

Last night after work, Sean and I went to Ramen Yukinoya. We lucked out when we arrived, as it was packed and there were only two seats left at the bar that we managed to get. Then a swarm of people arrived and had to wait in line outside.

They had a small ramen menu which was nice. I always preferred places that focused on basic ramen flavors, rather than a large menu with everything tasting mediocre.  We started with some hot tea, and I ordered the Tonkotsu and Sean ordered the Tonkotsu Chasumen with corn.

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Ramen Anatomy

“What is ramen?”

“Wait… there’s “real” ramen?”

“Wait… they’re not just the stuff in styrofoam cups?”

“WHY RAMEN?!?!”

These are a few of the questions  I’ve had to answer ever since we took on this ramen mission. Yes, there is more to ramen than the Cup Noodles and Top Ramen. The real deal is just so… much… more!

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Late Night Ramen Run

Hey everyone…

After a long work day, I was exhausted and starving. Ramen and beer sounded good. Some friends that I haven’t seen in a long time were actually in the area last night. But it was way past 11 pm and all the good places were either closed or closing up. So we met up at Kouraku in Little Tokyo, which closed at 3 am. It is located on the corner of 2nd Street and Central Ave.

My friend Sam, who had been on a ramen run a long time ago, is a big foodie and he likes to order weird stuff. Which explains the weird appetizers you’ll see below:

img_9155Beef Tongue

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