Ramen Shack Takumiya - Redondo Beach

There's a Chinese joke from few years back that always makes me laugh:

One day, a tiger was minding his own business, when he was bitten by a snake. It hurt like hell, and the tiger was, understandably, pissed. The tiger chased the snake, preparing to kill him, to exact his revenge. But the snake was agile and made it all the way to the lake and slithered into the murky water. Unable to follow, the tiger sat on the shore, waiting for the snake to return. Moments later, a turtle appeared from the murky depths and crawled ashore. The tiger grabbed the turtle in his monstrous claw and exclaimed, "Just because you're wearing a vest doesn't mean I don't recognize you!"

Ramen Shack Takumiya is the turtle, and Bambibu is the snake. Same place, same setup, same food, different name. Even the menu doesn't look different. 

I didn't love the ramen at Bambibu so I approach Takumiya with caution. But I have the kind of craving that eats all the other cravings, and the location is too convenient to refuse. I start with a Chashu Bun, an overpriced, glorified, TINY sandwich for a whopping $4.80. The chashu tastes char-grilled, and it's reasonable soft and not at all dry. No objections, except it would be nice if there were more than a single, sad slice. For almost $5, I expect more than an ounce of pork with a pound of lettuce.

The Spicy Miso Ramen has a subtle amount of spice at level 2, and it's perfect for a thrill-seeking spice-wimp...such as myself. The broth is rich enough, though I would have liked it to be thicker. And I love a good barbecue, but everything in that bowl, including the broth has a burnt-smoke aftertaste, and it causes quite the headache after the first few bites. 

A lot of Yelpers have welcomed Ramen Shack Takumiya with open arms, if their 4.5-star rating is any indication. Me, I'm always grateful for the easy access to decent bowl of ramen. They stand strong as the only affordable Japanese food in Redondo Beach, but when giants like Santouka, Umenoya, and Yamadaya are merely a 20-minute drive, I think I'll stick to Torrance.