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So between Ramenya and Asahi Ramen , some may assume that all the good ramen houses on the Westside have been covered. However, a personal favorite of mine has been Kin-chan’s, which is right next to Blue Marlin. What makes attracts me to Kin-chans is the atmosphere as well as the different taste that it offers. It’s a small place but it has an open kitchen, which means you can see the chef (there’s only one main guy) do all the cooking. There’s also a nice counter right facing the kitchen, so it offers that diner-type feel that makes anyone comfortable. There’s nothing like being able to see the noodles get cooked in the giant wok right before you eat them. Additionally, Kin-chans’ ramen has a different texture than the ones you’ll find as Asahi or Ramenya. The noodles are a bit firmer, which makes for an slightly different gastronomical experience as compared to the other two ramen houses. The soup base also has a heavier taste, which can be a blessing or a curse depending on one’s preference.

Some of the best ramen dishes to get here are the Nira Ramen (which is ramen covered with stir-fried pork and chives) as well as the Tenshin Ramen (which is Egg-Foo-Young and gravy over ramen). My girlfriend had the Cha-su Ramen (pictured to the right) and I had the Hiyashi Ramen (pictured on the left, which is shredded egg, chicken, cucumber, and corn over cold noodles in a vinegar-base sauce).

Also of note is the scrambled eggs with chives dish. There’s something about the combination of the two flavors that works very well.

Kin-chan’s incorporates corn to a greater extent than the other two houses. It offers a Corn Miso Ramen as well as a Corn Ramen (which is creamy corn with chicken breast, bamboo, and mushrooms over noodles). I haven’t tried either of these dishes but the use of more corn adds another dimension to typical ramen.

Finally, the prices are typical of any ramen house, most dishes are between 6-8 dollars. Kin-chans also offers various beers and sakes if you want to accompany your meal with some alcohol.

You can park in the mall lot, but most of the time, it valet and since that mall also holds Blue Marlin and Hurry Curry, it may be difficult. For anyone planning on eating on Sawtelle in the evening and who wants to avoid paying for pakring, there is usually parking farther north up the street or on the side streets west of Sawtelle.

So even though Asahi and Ramenya are more well-known, give Kin-chan’s a try and you’ll find yourself a very nice dining experience.

By Jeff (see more of his posts).