Visit date: November 11
Ramen is a Japanese art taken very seriously. It sounds simple enough, but it is not uncommon for ramen makers to spend years apprenticing under a master ramen chef. We are NOT talking about instant ramen in a styrofoam cup, foil bag with dried vegetables that reconstitute in hot water, and pre-packaged seasonings a.k.a. salt. The secret is in the soup, variations can include tonkotsu (a rich, milky, pork-bone broth), chicken, soy sauce, miso and vegetarian bases. Maybe, just maybe, I'll learn their secrets someday. In the meantime, I'll just watch Ramen Girl again.
My bowl of choice today is the Totto Spicy Ramen. The operation requires two Japanese men of varying height working in silent synchronicity while wearing towel do-rags. One man boils noodles in a converted deep fryer while his partner uses an oar to stir a cavernous pot of broth. (It helps to have a sassy black chick, who speaks Japanese, guard the door too.)
These men have mastered the art, so much so that I think the man boiling noodles may be getting carpal tunnel syndrome in his left wrist from slinging excess water off the noodles. For that fact alone, I'd like to tell you not to eat at Totto Ramen but then you'd be missing out on this wonderfully crafted bowl of soup and noodles. If you dare, there is an extreme spicy bowl with nine chilies pictured next to its name. My bowl with two chilies is spicy enough so I can't imagine what the other bowl is like.
One piece of advice: Make sure you get there early!
Twenty minutes before lunch service, the line is already 20 people long. The restaurant seats about 25 people at a time, approximately 10-12 at the bar with the remainder in a few 4-top tables in the back. The good thing is that ramen is fast food so the turnaround should be relatively quick.
Also check out Hide Chan Ramen on the East side, same street.
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