Anyone been? Looks interesting… owned by manager of n/naka
shett… let’s go
Been a little busy, but this is one of my favorite new ramen shops in LA hands down. From one of the managers of n/naka, it’s a very nice build out inside a strip mall in K-town. Not too fancy, not too casual…but this is definitely a place you could even impress a date with. Beer and Sake on the menu!
Everything i’ve had was good to very good. I didn’t love the fancier truffle ramen (i’m tainted by the truffle oil broth by Tsuta in Tokyo LOL), but their basic Shio bowl ($10.50!) is excellent and up there as one of the best against Menya Musashi and Tsujita. Their Charsiu is very very good.
Outstanding service every time also. All the appetizers I had were also quite tasty.
FTC needs to hit this place up, QPR is really nice and it’s LEGIT.
VISIT 1
truffle butter tonkotsu | 14
rich, shoyu seasoned niman ranch pork bone stock truffle compound butter, slow braised niman ranch pork belly, **, kikurage, nori, sweet corn, scallions
Homemade Green Tea Matcha Ice Cream
VISIT 2
spicy tuna | 6
tuna tartare, spicy mayo, scallion, micro greens
ebi katsu shrimp bao | 7
two steamed buns, panko-crusted fried shrimp patties, yuzu-kosho mayo* aonori, scallions
takoyaki | 4
octopus filled wheat batter fried fritters
shio | 10.5
sea salt seasoned clear organic chicken broth + house dashi** slow braised niman ranch pork belly, nori, menma, scallions
VISIT 3
burnt garlic tonkotsu | 12.5
rich, shoyu seasoned niman ranch pork bone stock slow braised niman ranch pork belly, kikurage, nori sweet corn, scallions
Carafe of born gold, junmai daiginjo
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I take it shio was your favorite of the three?
I asked the ramen chef what his favorite was (I forget his name but he’s from Japan) and he said Shio… and Yes I’d go shio. I want to try their normal tonkatsu but haven’t yet.
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For a very good Shio Ramen, try the Ginger Shio Ramen at Ramen Bangiachi in Culver City.
My current favorite for Shio is Josui in Torrance.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/ramen-josui-torrance
I have not tried Iki Ramen yet.
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There seems to be a lot of buzz about this place – most likely due to the association with n/naka.
What there does not seem to be: a whole lot of originality
I am not going to comment on the taste/quality of the ramen from pictures alone, but it looks pretty run of the mill…
Gyu-Kaku’s Poke Nachos:
Shrimp Bun @ Ippudo - Santa Monica:
(Photo cred @J_L)
These can be found at many Japanese places around the city. I assume these are of the frozen variety - unlike the made-to-order-in-front-of-you-on-a-griddle Takoyaki @ Tanota or Gindaco
i’m telling you this place is tasty and QPR is great + good service / good looking restaurant. It’s worth a look.
Also who cares about appetizers at a ramen shop, you go for the ramen baby.
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Totally. I will check it out.
And agreed that a ramen joint should be judged primarily on its ramen.
have been here a couple times.
service has been good and responsive, which is always a huge plus.
the yuzu shio is great. i think iki ramen is the only(??) joint in town doing this at the moment, and it’s great. the spicy vegan miso is great too. broth is flavorful and rich, but not too heavy. i’ve cleared my bowl both times i’ve been here.
i still don’t fully understand the need for a ramen joint in 2019 to feel like a high-end dining experience, but that is a very minor quibble. heh.
also: the shio kosho ice cream for dessert is superb and worth saving room for.
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I’m a fan of the Yuzu shio, nice clean broth.
We had another awesome drunken visit to the Iki bar this weekend after reopening our livers after 2 months off.
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