Ramen Yamadaya UPDATE - Torrance

I forgot how much I love this place. 

The Karaage is right on, and my friend declared it the best he's ever had.

The Tonkotsu Spicy is most popular, a thick broth of savory pork, with varying levels of spice. The broth is rich, but definitely a soup, unlike the semisolid of Umenoya. The flavors are full, but the bowl is a size that's manageable. Ask for fresh garlic and dump it all in. It turns the broth into a flavor-burst. The only thing I don't love is the pork. The meat is tough as a tire.

Taiyaki is steamed and soggy but the red bean filling is as smooth as silk.

I love it here, and I'm sad I've stayed away for so long. It's a pain to get to, but it's worth the venture for a ramen adventure.  

Ramen Yamadaya UPDATE - Torrance

When it comes to ramen, Yamadaya is truly king. Their broth is irresistable, and there's really no need to try anything else, but it turns out they're a jack of all trades. Apparently this intimately tiny, claustraphobically-cozy, hole-in-the-wall noodle-niche can do no wrong when it comes to noodles and the Tsukemen is yet another must-try.

It took me a while to get around to trying the tsukemen. The separation of the noodles and the broth requires a lot of extra work, and let's face it, I'm pretty lazy. Plus when I think of deconstructed food, it conjures images of mastication and multilation, basically nothing remotely appetizing. Then again , dipping the noodles is a socially-acceptable excuse to play with you food, and the there's nothing but fun in tasting the tsukemen at Yamadaya.

Maybe I like it because I identify with it. The stronger, saltier, significantly fishier broth is appropriately hyper-concentrated for dipping, but like myself, the fish makes it an acquired taste. I've grown up with fishy soups, but unlike me, this is not a taste my friends could easily acquire.

The tsukemen makes a strong showing at Yamadaya, but I probably won't order again, I highly recommend it, but there's just no point in ordering it when the mere thought of Kakuni causes a reaction unsuitable for public display.