Daikokuya Sawtelle - Los Angeles

I can still taste the drops of kotteri from their Little Tokyo location three years ago. 

I know what I want, and I know what to expect, but I'm seduced by the idea of the newer Spicy Miso. "I can't recommend it," my server says when I inquire. He doesn't make eye contact and squirms just the slightest so I let my friends take the plunge. I know I made the right decision when I taste their soup. It does taste like miso with spice, but the granules don't harmonize, and you leave the thin broth feeling rather incomplete.

The classic Daikokuya Ramen is to die for. It is as thick and fatty as I remember, so rich it froths like viscous cream. The kotteri plays a supporting role, adding to the savor without congealing like Tsujita. I sip and I slurp with equal voracity, droplets of broth dripping from firm, ropy noodles.

Fantastic ramen makes my night, but I'm already thinking about the next day. Ramen won't keep, but the Chashu Bowl sure will. Droplets of fat fall from the shreds of soft belly of pork, and the grains of rice catch them as they descend through the layers beneath. It's a great bowl when it's fresh, but put it in a microwave-safe bowl the next day and it's better. 

In most cities, a perfect bowl of ramen is but an urban legend. In LA, it is a fact of life. We live that legend, those lucky enough to live near Torrance, Little Tokyo or Sawtelle. Daikokuya itself is a legend, and it's been crowned king more than once. There's a reason it tops the charts year after year, and there's a reason I'll be back in way less than a year!