Orochon Ramen

Reviews 4

JA

Jason Lum

Hmm Spicy Japanese food. It doesnt sound possible. Thats like saying Fat Free Soul food it doesnt exist. Japanese food is not spicy, but it is when you go to Orochon Ramen. This must be an American take on a Japanese item, because I recall my friends from Japan dont eat anything spicy. I was extremely excited to try out Orochon. I decided that I would not take on the Special #2 Challenge. I have been burned before by Atomic Wings and no matter how it taste on your tongue your stomach and the rest of your digestive system is what suffers. Besides, if I wanted to truly suffer I would just watch Oprah or Sex in the City. I was tempted, but instead decided to go with Orochon #3. WEAK! I know.. considering its all about the challenge. I was hoping for some tasty soup. Instead it taste like burning. Even though I know I can do a higher hottest rating, I felt disappointed. The noodles were soft and cooked right. The soup was so-so and was filled with a few bean sprouts and a few slices of meat. I didnt mind the lack of meat, which is normal for most ramen places. COME ON! I heard these bowls are huge. I was expecting something like a Super Bowl of Pho, but nah it was more like one handful of noodles and some okay soup. The soup did not flow with the spice. If you have ever had Korean spicy noodles, thats doing it right. The spicy and soup base should flow together naturally. It should not taste like soup that you accidentally spilled a bottle of hot sauce in. Because of the peppers and spices, the soup tasted like Mexican and Japanese fusion. The flavor did not taste like Japanese food to me. Looking around the restaurant I noticed some sad faces. A few people had a "I only came here because I watched Man Vs Food" look. They also had the expression of "Is this it?". I notice some people started to order sides or more noodles. The restaurant was pretty quiet. I only heard the noise of lazy servers sitting in the dinning area talking and occasionally dropping what they were carrying. I dont think I will go again. I expect higher standards for Ramen especially if you are located in Japantown in LA. Try Costa Mesa or Rowland Heights for some good Ramen. Unless you live walking distance, the drive is not worth it.

YO

Young Cho

First, bring cash because if you spend less than 20 you cannot use a credit/debit card. I was not told this until after I finished my meal. There was no sign stating this and the credit card logos (visa/mastercard) on the door would indicate that they take cards for payment for any amount but they do not. I had to use the "convenient" ATM inside the restaurant that charged me $2.50. A total scam. Price was a little ridiculous for the amount of food. Big bowl but little noodle or toppings. I added the charsiu for $2.50 and got one piece. I ran a Sapporo Ramen Shop and we had set prices for different noodles and we did not charge for extra noodles or toppings because that is what a proper establishment does. Miso broth was very very salty, noodles were under cooked and toppings were skimpy. I thought the "gyoza" was priced adequately until I received them. Five small little balls. After everything was said and done my bill was $13.75 ($16.25 if you charge the ATM Fee). I am normally a large tipper but I left a buck and some change and I still thought that was too much. Service was horrible. I had three different servers. One who took my order, one who brought me my food, and one who bought me my bill. The one who brought me my bill had the worst attitude. The white girl who said she cannot take my card and who said it was the owner who refuses to take charge cards if under $20. I am pretty sure that it is illegal to not accept a type of payment without posting there policies on the door. I will never ever go back to this place and I recommend that no one go here. I have had better Ramen at the Mitsuwa Market and at a better price. Actually, dont take my word and go there for yourself and see how it really is.

AL

Alice Ly

How did this place go downhill so much?? I remember coming here 4 years ago after an Anime Expo outing and sitting down to a DELICIOUS bowl of salt ramen with pork that was SUPER tender. It stayed on my mind for so long but I never got the chance to come back since LA isnt really a place I frequent and since Santouka is nearby where I live. We got a chance to come back after E3 with the same friend that I ate with 4 years ago and we had super high expectations. "I hope this place is as good as we remembered it to be" Oh boy were we let down. :( The broth was horribly watered down. I got a spicy level of 6 which is considered "mild" as it was one above non-spicy. All I could taste was the spiciness and there was NO depth of soup flavor whatsoever. What happened to the thickness of the broth?? The pork also seemed like it was scraps and definitely not the type of pork you usually find in ramen. There was no thick slices here. It was pieces of squarely cut pork that looked like they came from a Chinese noodle bowl! Also, really, what bowl of ramen has green bell peppers? My bowl was swimming in it! It totally conflicted my taste buds by having that has the default veggie. Adding all the extras added up too cause Egg = $1 and Sauteed Bamboo = $1.50 (or $1.25 dont remember) There wasnt enough noodles either! It was also too dense and didnt taste like ramen noodles. So sad, so sad! The table next to us left early and left half of their bowls half-eaten too. Guess we werent the only ones unsatisfied. Will not be coming back again but will retain that one memory 4 years ago when Orochan was top dog. Now its Santouka all the way.

YV

Yvette Tung

Only two legit reasons you should ever step inside this "ramen" joint: 1. because you like spicy food. 2. because you are too hungry for the wait at Daikokuya and you absolutely crave ramen this instant. Unfortunately, I was guilty of the latter this weekend and found myself at the counter of Orochon waiting for my bowl of ramen. Im a traditionalist, and want my ramen the way countless of generations in Japan have made it and enjoyed, so I went with the miso non-spicy (#7) and added egg and chashu. Lets start with the positives because its a much shorter list. The egg was cooked perfectly, and the chashu was very juicy. The serving size was large enough to make me wonder why anyone would option for extra noodles. Now for the list of negatives longer than a strand of ramen... There is a discernible difference between flavorful and salty broth, and Orochons broth was undoubtedly just salty. The ramen itself was a bit hard for my taste, but gradually got better as it sat in the broth. I also noticed that the previously mentioned large serving size was just an illusion, since by the middle of my chow down, I was literally just eating bean sprouts as there was no more ramen. The worst part of it was knowing that I could have had a significantly superior bowl of ramen across the street for actually LESS MONEY, since my order with the additions (that Daikokuya includes without extra charge) comes to $10 (ramen $7.45 + egg $0.99 + chashu $1.50). Expensive for salty bean sprout noodle soup!