Love at First Slurp
TL;DR —
We found a bowl of tsukemen that rivals Tsujita, and in some ways, might even be better.
Takoyaki
This was a solid plate of takoyoaki. Each ball was a chewy dough-y texture with a good amount of octopus in each. A few things we appreciated about this takoyaki in particular is the size of each ball and the amount of sauce. Some times takoyaki can be a lot when the balls are too big, and these were a perect bite size. The takoyaki also was not drowning in sauce and had just the right amount for a bit of flavor with each bite.
“Dip Ramen” (tsukemen)
Wow. Where to start. This was such a great bowl of tsukemen. The noodles were a perfect springiness and similar to Tsujita in texture and in size. The broth was soo flavorful and delicious! Unlike Tsujita’s broth which is heavy on the pork notes, the broth at JIDAIYA was lighter and stronger in fish notes. The broth also had an ever-so-slight kick to it which was really nice. For toppings, the noodles were served with chashu, bamboo, a piece of seaweed, crushed up bonito, radish sprouts, and a perfectly soft boiled egg. The chashu was a lot less fatty than Tsujita which we appreciated because sometimes the fattiness can be a lot alongside a really rich and fatty broth. This really was the perfect bowl of tsukemen and we are so happy to have found a new place to go to that didn’t make us feel heavy af after and didn’t have a wait to get in at all.
Tokyo Yatai
The simple shoyu ramen here was excellent. The simplicity of this bowl was a great way to set a baseline for the level of flavor at this restaurant. The broth, though light, was so rich in flavor and all the ingredients were cooked to perfection including perfectly springy noodles, a silky soft boiled egg, and lean but flavorful chashu.
JIDAIYA Ramen Dining
18537 S. Western Ave
Gardena, CA 90248
