On the note of Niboshi… if anyone is ever in Osaka you MUST go to Sanku.
The best ramen bowl I’ve ever had, here’s a little write up I did on my IG.
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As a longtime Century City denizen, I can affirm that apparently we can’t have nice things in Century City.
On another topic, I’ve been sick and had Daikokuya spicy ramen delivered from its Sawtelle location in an attempt to clear my sinuses. That was definitely the worst ramen I have ever had (and was not particularly spicy). It had a very odd taste, was beyond greasy and perhaps a result of delivery (although I have had delivery ramen before), but the noodles were just this gross clumped gelatinous mass. It was actually disgusting except for the boiled egg that came with it, which was fine. Now this Ramen Nagi can’t be that bad, can it?
Hi @Omotesando,
Sorry to hear, hope you feel better! 
Next time, maybe consider ordering from Sichuan Impression on Santa Monica Blvd. (near that Daikokuya). They have dishes that travel well and will probably clear our your sinuses better, with things like:
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Boiled Fish with Rattan Peppers (Boneless Grey Sole Fillets, Bean Sprouts, Black Fungus, Rattan Pepper, Green Peppercorn) - this is essentially the “green version” of Water Boiled Fish that some FTC’ers were asking about last year.
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Mapo Tofu - Excellent version.
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Boiled Fish Fillets in Chili Sauce - This is their version of the Szechuan classic, “Water Boiled Fish” (the red version).
And various other dishes. Enjoy. 
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I am thinking Hai Di Lao will be a nice addition. Their locations are fairly consistent although I do enjoy the Arcadia branch the most, which is located in the Westfield Mall.
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Speaking of sickness and of Century City, I dragged myself today to Dai Tung Fung at Westfield for soup in an attempt to blast the last of my cold away.
Was surprised to find the kitchen crew working in masks, each and every one of them (you can only see two in the picture I’ve uploaded). I don’t think it does anything from a public health standpoint, but obviously trying to reassure jittery customers.
Ordered chicken noodle soup. It was bland, which was solved by dousing it with the chili hot sauce they have on the tables, and came with nice crunchy fresh-tasting vegetables, but way too many noodles and too little soup. Together with hot tea, which they serve in a thermal pot which keeps it steaming hot at least for an hour, it did the trick of helping me feel better.
Even though the chicken soup (what little broth there was) was decent, I wouldn’t return because it is impossible to order just lean protein and vegetables at Dai Tung Fung as the menu basically consists of either carbs or vegetables without any protein at all. I suppose that is akin to going to a pizzeria and complaining that everything is so carby, but if you are at anything other than a slice joint, most upscale pizzerias do offer at least one or two dishes of lean protein.
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I thought the crew at every DTF prep counter has always worn masks. This is a DTF corporate policy, and it way pre-dates the emergence of COVID19.
Hope you feel better soon. This cold is certainly making its rounds throughout the city.
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Never having been to Dai Tung Fung, I had no idea of this mask policy and thought it was a coronovirus thing. It felt a bit dystopian.
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Same for DTF NorCal. Nothing to do with the Wuhan blues.
Last visit, the XLB came out lukewarm. The best items for me were beef noodles (consistently great with propely stewed tender beef shanks with lots of tendons inside them), stir fried kale with garlic, sweet sour sugar vinegar spareribs, spicy shrimp wontons in sesame sauce (excellent). Then again we don’t have great beef noodles up here so DTF is a lifesaver in a weird sort of way for it.
I’d rather eat at DTF than a Nagi in Westfield (our NorCal DTF is downstairs from Nagi Santa Clara in Westfield…).
I guess it only feels dystopian today because of what, as someone phrased it, the Wuhan blues.
I returned today to Dai Ting Fung and I’m actually becoming a fan (especially considering the other options at the mall) other than my frustration of their “carb on carb” menu. I solved the carb problem today by ordering my chicken noodle soup without the noodles. I think you actually get more broth when the bowl isn’t full of noodles and it is a very nice chicken broth and the the bok choy and the carrots in the broth are impeccable (and it is virtually impossible to get impeccable vegetables at Westfield). A soupçon of hot sauce from the table and the broth turns nicely spicy (without being horribly greasy like at a lot of Chinese restaurants). I ordered a cucumber appetizer and it was much better than a similar cucumber dish at Bibigo Kitchen in the same mall. And as a tea drinker, I was delighted by the tea – only two selections, Jasmine and Oolong and we’re not talking about rarefied versions of either – but it is served in a big thermal pot and stays hot for over an hour. If they only offered lean protein, I might eat lunch there every day, especially considering my other options in the area. The few slivers of chicken in the chicken soup left me a bit hungry for more protein, which I solved by pulling out a protein snack to have for dessert with my big pot of tea. I’m actually considering if I could do DTF as BYOP (bring your own protein) by arriving with a sliced hard boiled egg to surreptitiously slip into my chicken soup to make a full meal out of it.
You’ve discovered the “pro tip” there. Good work!
For carb-avoiders, the ribs (appetizer) at DTF are all protein, and I think you can ask for the Taiwanese pork chop by itself without the rice also.
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I usually get the tofu puff & glass noodle soup.
And I go to the bar line.
Some other gems (pics courtesy of a friend of a friend)
Sweet and sour (sugar and black vinegar) spare ribs
Pot stickers
Hot and sour noodles
Pork chops
Taro XLB (bomb dot com)
No pictures but also:
Garlic stir fried kale (like crack)
Spicy shrimp wontons in sesame sauce
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Alas, I already looked up glass noodles yesterday and they are as carby as regular noodles. I’m not sure if the tofu puffs are full of carbs or are just fried tofu, but that soup also comes with pork rolls and I don’t eat pork, so I’m better off with my carbless chicken noodle soup without noodles.
Yes, I learned the bar trick today. Even at 1:00 p.m. a long wait for a table, but they said I could go into the bar area and I didn’t really want to eat at the bar, but they also have tables in the bar area and I was able to slide right in to an empty table.
Speaking of the bar area, do they only serve alcohol in the bar area? Has anyone tried any of their wine? I’m guessing the wines are pretty crappy, but you never know.
Hi @Omotesando,
Thanks. BTW, doesn’t DTF offer you just Chicken Soup (no noodles) as a standard option? Look at their Soup section:
I went through that today with the waiter. Apparently the chicken soup without the noodles is a smaller portion and also doesn’t come with vegetables and I think the nicest thing about the DTF chicken soup with noodles is the impeccably fresh bok choy and carrots. I always like a few phytonutrients with my meals. So for me, it’s chicken noodle soup, hold the noodles. The nice thing also about hold the noodles is you get much more broth in your bowl. When they serve the soup with noodles, the noodle portion is so big that basically you are getting a bowl of pasta with a bit of broth rather than a true soup.
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I wish to go to there… Thanks for the heads up.
Din Tai Fung’s house chili oil is also super good And aromatic when used over carbs and proteins!
Also $15 corkage per bottle with no bottle limit. Had a killer BYO sake pairing there once 
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