Asahi Ramen
Wednesday, June 1, 2005 19:56
In comparison to the number of Japanese places serving Udon around town, the options for Ramen are relatively slim. Fortunately, there are two great Ramen joints not too far from my house. Asahi Ramen was the first place I tried, years ago on a friend’s recommendation. Located on Sawtelle, Asahi stays fairly busy, be prepared to wait, especially for parties larger than two. The wait isn’t too long though, I think the longest I have sat in their outdoor plastic chairs is about 15 minutes. When you do sit down you are served a small sample of spiced pickles and water while you decide what to order.
All of the Ramen options are served in generous bowls, with salty broth which can be ordered with or without MSG. I usually opt for the MSG free broth, because I can’t taste the difference, so why not skip a little sodium. My normal order is the curry ramen, which has a nice spice to it and potatoes floating in the broth along with the noodles. When I have a cold or it is chilly, it can’t be beat. The Wakame Ramen is tasty as well, served with seaweed and other veggies. My fiancee sticks with the Wonton Ramen which, as the name implies, comes with both wontons and noodles in the soup.
A few things to note about Asahi though, they only take cash and they aren’t open on Thursdays. With most dishes priced under five dollars though, you can usually find enough cash in your pocket to cover the bill.
Wakame Ramen
Wonton Ramen
ASAHI RAMEN
2027 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025
Tel: (310)479-2231
By Jonah (see more of his posts). Jonah is the founder of la.foodblogging and also created Digesty, a food blog aggregator and Cheww.com, a spam free foodblog search engine.
SoCalorie says:
June 1st, 2005 at 11:03 pm
Scrimping on the pickles.
Jonah says:
June 2nd, 2005 at 6:10 am
No joke, the pickle count has been steadily going down with each visit. I think the first time I went the little plate was full, then four, then three, now two! I guess Peter Piper is raising his rates.
SoCalorie says:
June 2nd, 2005 at 9:32 am
But you go for the Run Rock Rahmen.
These photos are sweet, btw, really nice soft natural light.
sarah says:
June 2nd, 2005 at 10:48 am
HOW DARE YOU POST ABOUT ASAHI TODAY - THURSDAY, and THEY’RE NOT OPEN!! NOW I WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW.
LOL!
good job, jonah ;)
Jonah says:
June 2nd, 2005 at 10:54 am
I did think about that, ha! Go around the corner to Ramenya, they’re closed on Wednesdays, I think. I’ll be writing them up soon enough.
bellafey says:
January 28th, 2006 at 10:37 pm
We went to Asahi tonight, and it was superb. Very cheap, awesome gyosas, great ramen!
And for the record, there were three pickles for each person at our table!
karen says:
January 29th, 2006 at 8:40 pm
thanks for the review…went tonight and it hit the spot. i’ll be going there again soon and also be checking up on your other reviews.
Jonah says:
January 29th, 2006 at 8:43 pm
Glad to hear that you liked it. What did you order?
eatfood says:
April 2nd, 2006 at 10:26 pm
Yeah, since Asahi was bought out there have been some annoying changes. Fewer pickles, really cheapo chopsticks that splinter, and my favorite chicken salad now has lots of regular romaine lettuce instead of all baby greens. I hate that. Everything else still seems good. All in all, I guess it could have gone down much more. I still go but only a couple times a year as opposed to 2-3x/month.
Dave says:
April 25th, 2006 at 1:37 pm
Asahi is awesome. Like the critic, I think their chicken curry ramen is one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted, I have it nearly every time. AND their gyoza is really good too.
Also, when in season, the hiyashi chuka will explode in your mouth with wonderful taste combinations…can’t wait until they bring it back in a few months ^_^
Yu Shan says:
August 5th, 2006 at 11:09 pm
We got three pickles (small) or two pickles large per person.
The Truth says:
August 5th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
SALTY. That’s it. You like SALT. That’s what you’re going to get, my friend. SALT. How do people eat there? It’s a boiling soup of SALT. Good grief. SALT–you got that? Go there, regret it, SALT.