Yoshiharu Ramen Opens in West Hollywood
Ramenheads, rejoice because Yoshiharu Ramen is celebrating its grand opening in West Hollywood. Located just down the street from Lisa Vanderpump’s PUMP, the sleek new ramen shop on Santa Monica Blvd should be a welcome dining upgrade for the neighborhood.
Yoshiharu Ramen’s first location in Orange gained acclaim from local outlets that praised its MSG-free tonkotsu broth and chasu pork. Yoshiharu is quickly building on it success, opening a second outlet in Buena Park before the West Hollywood opening later this month.
Yoshiharu West Hollywood will soft open on Thursday, May 18, with the grand opening deal being held from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on June 3.
No. It’s not Cup O’Noodles
Ramen, despite its reputation as a cheap fast food, is a complex pillar of modern Japanese society, one loaded with political, cultural and culinary importance that stretches far beyond the circumference of the bowl.
In the broadest sense, a bowl of ramen comprises four principal constituents: tare (a seasoning base), broth, noodles and toppings.
In theory, toppings can include almost anything, but 95% of the ramen you consume in Japan will be topped with chashu, Chinese-style roasted pork. In a perfect world that means luscious slices of marinated belly or shoulder, carefully basted over a low temperature until the fat has rendered and the meat collapses with a hard stare. The only other sure bet in a bowl of ramen is negi, thinly sliced green onion, little islands of allium sting in a sea of richness. Pickled bamboo shoots (menma), sheets of nori, bean sprouts, fish cake, raw garlic, and soy-soaked eggs are common constituents, but there is a whole world of outlier ingredients that make it into more esoteric bowls.
While shape and size will vary depending on region and style, ramen noodles all share one thing in common: alkaline salts. Called kansui in Japanese, alkaline salts are what give the noodles a yellow tint and allow them to stand up to the blistering heat of the soup without degrading into a gummy mass. In fact, in the sprawling ecosystem of noodle soups, it may be the alkaline noodle alone that unites the ramen universe.
Broth Equals Soul
Noodles and toppings are paramount in the ramen formula, but the broth is undoubtedly the soul of the bowl, there to unite the disparate tastes and textures at work in the dish. This is where a ramen chef makes his name. Broth can be made from an encyclopedia of flora and fauna: chicken, pork, fish, mushrooms, root vegetables, herbs, spices. Ramen broth isn’t about nuance; it’s about impact, which is why making most soup involves high heat, long cooking times, and giant heaps of chicken bones, pork bones, or both.
Get to know Ramen for the first time or the hundredth time at Yoshiharu Ramen 8908 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, Ca 90069.