Numbing, Spicy, Hot Tantanmen from the Tsujita Ramen Group - Killer Noodle [Thoughts + Pics]

Americas - USA West Los Angeles
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Thank you! I’ll be checking it out in a few weeks, and thanks to your report, I am getting the original. I am so glad you explained the nuttiness in the other options, because I am not a fan of peanut butter. No other reviews I’ve read mentioned the flavor differences so well; most focused on the soup/dry/spice level choices.

We always just called it “Sawtelle” when I was in college, and even now when eating out, “I don’t know… what do you want to eat?” “How about Sawtelle?”

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Thanks @Bookwich. :slight_smile: Hope you enjoy your visit.

You can also ask for a pepper shaker of Sansho Pepper, if you decide your level of Numbing wasn’t enough, and you can just grind some on top. :sweat_smile: (At least that’s what I saw the table next to me do.)

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I wonder about the use of Sansho Peppers/Prickly Ash vs. Sichuan Peppers/Prickly ash.
I do not at all find these variants of numb-spicy/ Ma La to be the same.

how were the lines?

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Great report! I can’t wait to try Killer Noodle. You have to love any place that references the burning butt lol!

Was the tofu in the mabo bowl crumbled? It doesn’t look like the clean cubes you usually see in the dish.

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I think it’s a style thing. My dear Mom used to crumble it. Usually eateries will cube it, but mom&pops will serve it with way.

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Ah gotcha. Good to know!

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Hi @CiaoBob,

Torihei 1.0 used to have this amazing Sansho Pepper that Chef-Owner Masa-san imported in. It was a pure Sansho ground up into a fine powder. A dab of this with their fantastic Yakitori produced massive tongue numbing & tingling. :smile:

But some of the more common versions (the green bottle you find) has almost nothing.

10:45 a.m. there were about 20 - 30 people waiting. By the time the meal was over (11:30 or so), it was 100% capacity with a line of another 20+ people.

Thanks.

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Hi @Bigmouth,

Thanks! :slight_smile: Hope you like your visit.

The Mabo Bowl wasn’t “crumbled” like the packed stuff you might find. It was more slightly crumbled / broken up from sauteing I think. Thanks.

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thanks. Weekend or weekday?

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Thank you for the report!

What are your feelings on the other Tsujita’s? I find their broth too salty, and was wondering if the same held true at Killer Noodle.

I did love going to the original Tsujita (when there was only one) and getting their tasting menu. My memory is that it was $65/pp and a steal for the quality of food–including exceptional housemade tofu.

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Weekend.

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Hi @cjla,

One key thing to note (in general): For Tsujita’s Tsukemen (Dip Ramen), you’re not supposed to drink the concentrated broth (until you dilute it with some of the soup wari (you can ask for some)). But yes, it’s on the salty side.

Killer Noodle is nothing like that at all. It wasn’t overly salty.

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This is a huge part of the tsukemen experience, y’all.
Don’t forget your soup-wari!

However, @Chowseeker1999:
I have never heard of a tsukemen shop putting out noodle water for their soup-wari.
This is usually a soup or dashi specifically made for adding to the tsukejiru.

soba-yu =/= soup-wari soup

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Thanks, I love Soba too much, was indeed thinking of soba-yu.

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Maybe you were wrong about the shoyu ramen too :wink:

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Nah. Sorry the shoyu ramen is just bad.

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Had the Tokyo style, level 4 with soup. Pretty tasty, but wouldn’t wait an hour in line for it.

For what it’s worth, I didn’t finish the broth.

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Hi @BlurA14,

Thanks for the report back on Level 4. I definitely agree that it’s not worth waiting 1 hour in line for (especially not with our 100 degree weather right now). :smile: Did you get Level 4 Numbing as well? How numbing was it?

It’s a tasty bowl if you didn’t have to wait (or maybe 15 - 20 min at most).

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Using the Howlin’ scale, let’s say level 4 was somewhere between Hot and Medium. Certainly tolerable, but a nice kick. The people next to me ordered Level 6, they were struggling but nowhere near Howlin’ levels (or they were spice warriors).

For reference, I went on a Thursday at around 6:00 and there was no wait. As seen in your pictures, there are a lot of seats (kind of wish Tsujita Annex was housed here).

Curious to try the original style, providing a different kind of heat. But definitely after this current heat wave we’re experiencing dies down :sweat_smile:

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