Rate-A-Restaurant #380: Jinya Ramen (Hollywood) Is No Express

Restaurant: Jinya Ramen Express

Location: Hollywood and Highland Center (Hollywood)

Type of restaurant: Ramen

We stipulated: Blogger Kid 2.0 and I were in Hollywood to buy and sell at Amoeba, but the kid also insisted on visiting Hollywood and Highland for lunch. There aren't many quick and easy lunch choices there, but I finally sold him on Jinya Ramen express..

They stipulated: This is the Chipotle-style ordering equivalent of ramen. Choose a broth, a noodle style, a protein, and a limited number of garnishes.

What we ordered: Mike: Ramen (10.99) with chicken spicy broth, thin noodles, grilled marinated chicken, kikurage, cilantro, tomato, jalapeno, buttered corn, spicy sauce. Kid: side of fried chicken (three pieces, $3)

High point:  The broth lived up to the right amount of spice, and I liked the choice of garnishes.

Low point:  Oh where to begin. The wait was awful -- I've gotten my ramen faster at actual restaurants. Something broke down in the system, as people in line waited a really long time for their orders. My guess is they didn't have noodles ready, and it took time to cook -- which defeats the entire purpose of "Express."

Overall impression: The ramen wound up actually being surprisingly good considering how lacking in care it seemed to be, as the people behind the counter splashed items in a bowl.

Will we return: I'll find my ramen elsewhere.

Rate-A-Restaurant #349: Furious Spoon Ramen (Chicago)

Restaurant: Furious Spoon Ramen

Location: 1571 N. Milwaukee Ave. (Chicago)

Type of restaurant: Ramen



We stipulated: We were meeting a few of Maria's high school friends, and first walking down the new "606" elevated park. After looking at restaurants in nearby Wicker Park, Furious Ramen sounded the most kid-friendly (and a nice change from everything else we were eating in Chicago).



They stipulated: Cold ramen, hot ramen, add-on toppings.



What we ordered: Maria: "Furious Ramen": spicy miso, chashu pork belly, white pepper chicken, poached egg, marinated mushrooms, garlic relish, fury sauce ($12.45); Mike: "Chicken Shio Ramen": white pepper chicken, naruto, bamboo, fury sauce ($9.75 + 75 cents for the fury sauce); kids: Shared another chicken ramen, without the fury sauce.

High point:  The chicken had a great flavor and the ramen was a perfect size -- big for tremendous appetite, or perfect to split and share.

Low point:  Not the best place for a big group, as it's a loud spot, which made it a bit hard to carry on conversation.



Overall impression: It was my favorite meal of our Chicago trip. Highly recommended.

Will we return: If back in Chicago, yes.

Rate-A-Restaurant #342: Kanpai Ramen and Poke Bar (Glendale)

Restaurant: Kanpai Ramen and Poke Bar



Location: 1023 E Colorado St (Glendale)

Type of restaurant: Ramen, Japanese



We stipulated: We didn't want to venture far, and we'd heard about nearby Kanpai, which is bringing much overdue ramen to Glendale.



They stipulated: While ramen is their specialty, Kanpai is jumping into the whole poke craze, and also has an extensive boba and tea menu.



What we ordered: Mike: Spicy tonkatsu tonkotsu ramen with chicken ($9.95); Maria: Tonkatsu tonkotsu ramen with pork belly ($9.50); Kids: Tonkatsu tonkotsu ramen with chicken ($9.50); spicy tuna roll ($6); taro milk tea with boba ($3.50); mango milk tea with boba ($3.50)



High point:  The bowls were big enough for the Blogger Kids to split, and the right amount for us (I ate all of mine, while Maria had some left over).



Low point:  We were in a bit of a rush, but it was hard to get the attention of the server. Also, the Korean music videos were interesting but a bit distracting.

Overall impression: The meat had a slightly fermented taste, which was interesting, although I couldn't decide if I liked it or not. But points for the wide menu, and I can't wait to try the poke bowl.

Will we return: Yes.

L&L's Cheaper Version of the Ramen Burger Comes to Town

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue founder/president Eddie Flores calls it "bigger, better and cheaper" than the original. I can't speak to it being bigger or better, but L&L's take on the now-trendy ramen burger is indeed cheaper. And it's now showing up in local L&L locations (at least, as far as I know, in Glendale, Eagle Rock and Pasadena).



I tried the L&L ramen burger during our recent trip to Hawaii and.. it wasn't bad. There's an interesting taste when you slap a burger between two tightly-wound patties of cooked ramen.



(I tried both the ramen burger and the ramen BBQ chicken sandwiches. Although I usually prefer chicken, in this case the burger was better.)



Chef Keizo Shimamoto originally came up with the idea for the ramen burger, and famously drew four-hour lines last fall when he brought it to Torrance. According to the LA Weekly, a brick-and-mortar Ramen Burger is coming:

The Ramen Burger brick-and-mortar, which will soft-open on Aug. 1, will be a walk-up window located next to the popular Koreatown bar Lock & Key. Patrons of Lock & Key will be able to order the ramen burger inside the bar, as the two venues will share a kitchen. A hidden cocktail bar PLUS ramen burgers: It doesn't get much better than that.

The Ramen Burger menu will consist of the original ramen burger, which features a handmade ramen bun, scallions, ground beef patty, baby arugula and secret shoyu sauce. The spicy La Sriracha Macha specialty ramen burger, which debuted at last month’s DTLA Night Market, will become a regular menu item available at the brick-and-mortar.

The veggie ramen burger will also be available, as will various iterations of french fries: red miso and cheese; aonori seaweed and sea salt; and Shaka Shaka fries. There will also be the option to add a fried egg and bacon to any of the burgers.

If you can't wait, the L&L ramen burger is on sale now.