新撰組 shinsengumi 2go: the skinny on dipping
Kazuo Yamagishi need not worry, for his legacy is secure. Like Wilt Chamberlain and Benihana founder Rocky Aoki, the man is, was, and forever will be remembered as a pimp. A pimp of noodling that is, whose direct and indirect descendants are manifest in scores of ramen shops across Kanto and now, Southern California, every time a slurper orders tsukemen. From Taishoken Higashi-Ikebukuro to Torrance, one thing is clear - dipping noodles are here to stay. Well, at the recently opened Shinsengumi outpost, housed in the Marukai Pacific Square food court, they were here to stay, for at least one recent weekend, to the tune of $3.33 plus tax.
The endeavor was something of an experiment; tsukemen’s popularity has soared in recent years throughout Japan. Yamagishi himself teased retirement before returning amidst the clamor of ramen fans who simply could not stand to see him go. And though I know of no direct genetic link between Shinsengumi and the venerated godfather of morisoba, his fingerprints were all over the quick, cheap, and wholly satisfying West Coast variant of Japan’s next biggish thing.
To start, there was the richly concentrated shoyu soup that, while nearly undrinkable on its own, begged draining at the expense of one’s blood pressure. Loaded with chunks of fatty chashu, this powerful, punchy dip eventually cooled into a waxy no-no, and yet I still killed damn thing due to its flavor. For $3.33, maybe you’re just supposed to toss the stuff out after you’re done with your noodles. I’ll try not to sue these guys from my hospital bed.
The toppings were fine, if a little heavy on the bean sprouts. I am only left to wonder why they don’t use kikurage wood-ear mushroom in their regular Hakata ramen, as it’s a southern staple. The tsukemen noodles themselves were springy and toothy, and though served at room temperature - Taishoken gives you the option to have them hot - as far as the generic manufactured stuff goes (I suspect it was the same brand that Daikokuya uses), these had been prepared with surprising care and a delicate touch. SSG specializes in Hakata-style ramen and Pacific Square outpost is essentially a fast-food outlet, albeit one with a passable shoyu option. That this much care went into a trial product is surely impressive.
All in all, this foray into dipping-style noodles proved a welcome diversion from the summer heat. Shinsegumi should do tsukemen more often; if they can maintain this level of consistency, Yamagishi-san’s distant stepchild would make a fine addition to the permanent menu.
| rich and full of flavor, this isn't meant for drinking. that doesn't mean i didn't drink it anyway, despite the cooling and waxing of the fatty chashu embedded within. | 6 |
| generic manufactured yellow noodles had been prepared with a delicate touch, resulting in a firm mien. and mein. | 5 |
| the chashu was cubed, tender, and heavy on the fat. they need to use kikurage in their regular hakata ramen. | 6 |
| the noodles were great and the dipping soup was the side. or is it the other way around? at least you can pop across the aisle for some SSG yakitori to go; i can think of no better sides than that! | NA |
| marukai's food court was empty and a bit lonesome on this particular sunday afternoon. at least you can pop across the aisle for some SSG yakitori while you're at it. were there more eye-candy, i might have been prompted to give the ambiance another point or two. | 2 |
| a great, inexpensive experiment that can definitely hang with the big boys on the rest of SSG's menu on a permanent basis. i'd even pay a few dollars more for tsukemen a la shinsengumi. absolutely. | NA |
1620 W Redondo Beach Blvd | 17 |
Heey! now Im here:D
Wow! Your website looks great! I Love it!!