Mitsuwa Market Pl 21515 Western Ave Torrance,CA90501 Ironically, came here after the Ramen Yokocho festival in Torrance because we couldn't fill our bellies with over priced $8 mini sized ramens at the festival. But that event totally incepted(as in inception) us with the idea of wanting to eat more ramen. Been meaning to come back to Santouka, and I remembered there was on nearby in Torrance. So that's how we ended up here.
Giving Santouka 5 stars for their Spicy miso ramen. I've had a spicy miso ramen at other places, and thus far, none were anywhere close to the magnitude of Santouka's. The spiciness does not over power the umami-ness of the delightful broth. Good balance, good sides in the bowl like chashu and other goodies. Best spicy miso ramen period.
Had their natto bowl on the side. Not a lot of people like natto because it's fermented. But I enjoy it very much. It's not really seasoned. So maybe a little salt or soy sauce could kick it up a notch? The fermented taste is very subtle, so don't add to much seasoning if you enjoy the aroma of natto.
My combo was about $12-13. It's not bad at all as far as value. We were the only ones that had the idea from Ramen yokocho fest. We saw some others that also came here after the event.
Invited to Ramen Yokocho Fest by Weekly Lalala to do a video about this event. Thought it was a great idea. I knew it was going to be crowded. Luckily, we had the press passes, so we didn't have to wait too long in line. The line to get in is no joke, but they had to do it for crowd control. We walked around first, scooped out the ticket booths and ramen booths. The ticket booth on the other side had no line. So we didn't have to wait to buy tickets(food and drink vouchers).
Got 2 tickets($8), so we tried Orenchi Ramen from San Jose. Their soup was a fatty creamy rich broth. The noodles were thick and chewy. A bit on the salty side, but over all a very tasty ramen. Second place we tried was Iroha. They served a Spicy Mapo Ramen. It's said to have won 3 championships on the Tokyo Ramen Show. And it's the work of owner Kurihara and Iron Chef Chen Kenichi. The ramen wasn't as good as we thought. The spicy was very overpowering. Tasted very 2 dimension. Just spicy and savory.
Overall, the staff did a pretty decent job keeping this event contained. Hope the crazy turn out would get them a bigger venue as 626 Night Market has done. My other complaint about this even was that the price. $8 for a half/mini bowl size ramen is a bit overboard. Definitely not bang for the buck value at this event. On the other hand, the free entry and parking was a plus. Thank you for checking out our video and hope to see you at the next one.
Not a new restaurant, just a new location. What was once a culinary destination in Valencia, California, is now one of the hottest places to dine in West LA. Maru, meaning circle in Japanese, is a very good representation of the various food that is served here. This restaurant may seem like a fancy sushi restaurant. But they have a full kitchen that serves steak and a very creative twist to what they call "Risotto!" The man responsible for these artistic array of culinary delights is Chef and owner Jason Park. And this is our food adventure at Maru...
Menu
Sashimi Wild Albacore usuzukuri
-Fresh Albacore tuna caught locally on the coast of California. The fish was soft and moist. Each little garnish gave the Albacore a different dimension. It was light and appetizing, good way to start any meal. Very well executed dish.
Sushi Hon maguro, fooko, nama tako, wild salmon, shima aji
-The fishes used to make our Nigiri sushi were flown in from Japan. And nothing brightens up my eyes more than the vibrant color of good quality blue fin tuna. All the sushi were sublime in their own ways. Every piece of sushi is meant to be enjoyed as is. That means the usage of extra wasabi or soy sauce is unnecessary. Just eat what the chef gives ya!
Heirloom Tomato Salad House made ricotta, shiso pesto, sherry vinaigrette
-A very nostalgic dish because my mom used to add sugar to tomato and let it chill in the fridge overnight. Next day, we would have a nice cold treat. It was ironic that Chef joked about it, because that's exactly what I would have thought if he didn't tell us that the tomato are naturally sweet. Which are hand picked by the chef himself. Talk about dedication right?
Butterfish Pan roasted, cherry tomato, cranberry beans, black kale, lemon broth
-Very elegant dish with very nice color contrast. The fish was nice and crispy on the outside, moist and flaky on the inside. The acidity in the chicken broth worked with with the pan roasted fish. Gave the dish a nice balance.
Crispy Duck Risotto Crispy duck confit risotto cake, herb salad, tomato sauce
-Leave it to Mad Science/Chef Jason Park for coming up with this unique mashup of culinary art. Not sure you could even call it a Risotto anymore. The duck confit was just overkill. Delicious overkill that is! Definitely one of the more interesting dishes we tried. The amount of different flavors and textures in this dish was absolutely mind-blowing.
Filet Mignon Brandy-Merlot glaze, roasted garlic potatoes with shiitake mushrooms.
-Not something we were expecting. Perfectly cooked Filet Mignon at a Japanese restaurant. Beautifully arranged, cooked Medium rare, and the very interesting sauces. The meat was tender and the spicy chili sauce gave the dish a good Asian twist to it.
Pork Belly Sake-soy braise, garlic infused black kale, marinated shallots, roasted tomatoes.
-One of the most unique dish here. If there's one dish that you must get at Maru, it's this one! When you eat the pork by itself, it's a bit 2 dimension, and the kale is very fibrous by itself. But when you have both together, the balance of the pork and the kale comes together beautifully. The kale adds the 3rd dimension to the flavor, creating that "umami" flavor. Vice versa, the pork somehow gets rid of the fibrous texture of the kale. Absolutely brilliant! Perfect dish to finish our entrees.
Bread Pudding Valrhona semi sweet chocolate, Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream
-Nice and crispy outside, warm and moist inside. Top it off with ice cream, forget about it. Just gimme some of this and a cup of that delicious coffee. I'll be a happy camper.
Peach Tart Reiger Farm's O' Henry's, almond cream, Creme Fraiche ice cream.
-Chef's version of a peach tart. It's almost like a deconstructed tart.
Berry Cobbler Assorted organically grown berries, Tahitian Vanilla bean ice cream.
-The outer crust almost makes this look like a cupcake. The fresh fruits used in this cobbler is very obvious. Very aromatic. Another scoop of that delicious Tahitian vanilla ice cream never hurts anybody. AMIRITE?
As you can see, Maru is an "all around" dining experience. One thing they emphasize here is the local ingredients they use. Big thanks to Chef Park and his staff at Maru for their generosity. Big thanks to Jenni Hwang for inviting us.
