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Since discovering Yanusa back in February, I have spent many a night pondering whether or not to write a review. I’ve Googled the restaurant to check for any reviews; none. Jonathan Gold hasn’t touched upon it and it doesn’t turn up on any of the LA food blog sites. After eight months of consideration, I’ve finally caved in; my deepest apologies to the regulars and best of luck to the soon-to-be over-inundated staff.

Deep in the heart of Koreatown lives one of LA’s most ideal udon stands. Located inside the Hannam Chain Super Market on Olympic by Vermont, Yanusa is a no-nonsense, diamond-in-the-rough Japanese/Korean-style restaurant.

Although many Westerners might find the concept strange, supermarket restaurants are not uncommon in Asian culture. Noodle shops are standard fair in marketplaces; in Japan, one can even get a nice bowl of udon at a gas station.

Yanusa’s menu is straight-forward. Standard-grade sushi, rolls, udon and oden. Don’t bother with the sushi and rolls; you’re here for soup. Look around at the other tables and you’ll see you’re not alone.

The menu items are numbered to make ordering quick and efficient, a hallmark of Korean food service. The oden (#11) is good, but go with udon as most of the udon bowls include a fish cake or two. The baked mussels (#12) are an interesting mix of seafood and a mayonnaise-like sauce. When the weather is unbearably hot, I pass on udon and go with the Fish Rice (#13), another favorite of the regulars.

As you wait the few short moments for your order to arrive, snack on an endless supply of kimchi and oshinko. When the bowls of hot udon do arrive, take a second to breathe in the smell of the beefy broth seasoned with a generous helping of green onions. Sprinkle in some red pepper and then dive in. Once you have eaten the firm, precisely-cooked udon, lapped up the last drop of broth, and patted yourself on the stomach, acknowledging that you have just finished up a surprisingly good meal, take a look around you and realize that you have just had one your most enjoyable dining experiences in recent memory inside of a supermarket in Koreatown.

Yanusa Sushi is located in the Hannam Chain Super Market by Vermont @ 2740 W. Olympic Blvd, LA, CA 90006

By nealgardner (see more of his posts). You can find more of nealgardner's writing at his own website nealgardner.com