We ordered some appetizers, small dishes, and a few yakitori skewers. To start, we had the fried sweet potato with butter. The sweet potato was crispy on the outside and had a nice, earthy sweetness. The richness of the butter rounded out the flavors nicely.

Their agedashi doufu had generous toppings of nori, green onions, and katsuobushi. But honestly, have you ever had a bad agedashi doufu? We all know what a good deep fry does. The butano kakuni was one of the better ones I’ve had, but if I was being really critical, it was not as tender as one other place we’ve been to recently. Next came the yaki onigiri. This was one of our favorite dishes, even though it’s so simple. The grilled rice ball was charred and crunchy on the outside and hoka hoka on the inside. Perfect with the side of salty tsukemono.

For yakitori, we had the chicken thigh, tsukune, and bacon wrapped quail egg. All were really good, but what stood out most was the shiso leaf wrapped in pork belly. It’s not the most photogenic—but don’t be fooled. This unassuming skewer perfectly combines the flavor of the juicy pork belly with shiso. The shiso was cooked, so it didn’t have the blast of flavor, like in its raw state. It was more subtle and went perfectly with the pork.

There was a lot of open seating, but near the entrance was a row of seats hidden by a noren, which would be perfect for a small party, in case things get rowdy!

You’ll probably find me there chowing down during their happy hour, when all yakitori is half priced—Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 6:00–8:00 pm. Also, I can’t wait to go back and try their shabu shabu.

Shin Sen Gumi Yakitori and Shabu Shabu
111 N. Atlantic Boulevard, #248
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 943-7956

I was having a hard time imagining what this Ippudo ramen would taste like. Would the wasabi over power the dish? I was worried the first bite would be heaven, then slowly peter out, the flavors too intense. There was so much going on! But after peppering the waitress with questions, I decided to order it. Tonkotsu ramen is my favorite, so we also ordered that—just in case.

I was right about the first bite. Heaven! But this ramen was so refined and complex that it was pure pleasure from start to finish. The wasabi didn’t overwhelm the ramen at all, despite my initial hesitation. The waiter suggested mixing the toppings when the bowl arrived because the wasabi leaves have kick and you’ll want to distribute them for less impact.

Their tonkotsu ramen was also very tasty. The noodles were thinner and cooked to perfection. The flavor of the broth was deep and rich. It was a solid take on a classic tonkotsu ramen. Both this and the new flavors of the wasabi shoyu ramen made my tastebuds sing. It was all perfect.

Everything at Ippudo was beautiful, from the ramen to the decor and lighting (check out the ramen bowls!). The service was flawless—the waiters were really helpful and you could tell they take their ramen seriously. This is an experience I wouldn’t mind shelling out a few extra bucks for.

Ippudo
65 Fourth Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 388-0088

I also want to thank those of you who took the time to vote for my recipe on Food 52. I didn’t win, but hope you’ll have a chance to make Bacon and Shiso Fried Rice. I promise it won’t disappoint! Congratulations to the winning recipe, Shrimp Biryani—it looks amazing!

Oms/B has a beautiful selection of omusubi. This isn’t your run-of-the mill umeboshi or okaka. The selection is vast and imaginative. Take a look at their menu—it’s not easy to settle on just three. For a quick, on-the-go lunch, Oms/B was quite good and the line was perpetually long. I was impressed.

After talking with the woman behind the counter, we chose the Crab Salad, Mackerel with Yuzu, and the Ippudo Pork (below) and the Shrimp Pop Corn, Gorgeous Football Rice, and Spicy Tuna (above). Yum. The rice was cooked just right, something you can’t take for granted. Even the mackerel with yuzu—something I wouldn’t have chosen on my own—was a pleasant surprise. The pungent yuzu cut the flavor of the mackerel nicely.

Here in Los Angeles, Little Tokyo desperately needs a hot bento shop. Even something like the Hoka Hoka Bento chain in Japan would be a reasonable alternative to the chilled boxed bentos sitting in the grocery stores. Stale tonkatsu, soggy tendon, cold rice… not very appetizing. When I visited Oms/B, something inside me said—YES! Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about—we need a place just like this.

Oms/B
156 E. 45th Street
New York, NY 10017
(212) 922-9788

On our trip to New York, we came armed with a 7-paged list of restaurant and things to do, mostly suggestions from friends and research we’d done ourselves. Soba-Ya wasn’t at the top of my list, but after a recommendation from John’s brother (and NY local) as a well-frequented restaurant, we decided to head there for dinner.

There’s something very basic about soba because there are really just two things that make the dish: the dashi and the noodles. Sure, you can have kitsune, tanuki, or tempura soba, but that stuff they pile on is just ornament. If the foundation isn’t good, then it’s not good soba, no matter how you try to disguise it.

We started with the yuba sashimi as an appetizer. I love yuba (it’s the skin that forms on the surface when they make tofu) for its delicate, but firm texture. This yuba sashimi was tofu was wrapped inside sheets of yuba. A little dip in shoyu, a dab of wasabi, and the flavor was at once sweet, soft, salty, and with a kick. Simple and delicious.

I’m not one to get super excited about soba, but this soba was amazing. The dashi had an assertive katsuo flavor that, when mixed with the grated yama imo, thickened it and made it so savory. The broth wasn’t too salty, as it tends to be at other places, and they really balanced all the flavors perfectly. Just writing this makes me want to fly back and slurp up another bowl. Ahh, heaven.

Sobaya
229 E. 9th Street
New York, NY 10003
(212) 533-6966

In Japan, obon is observed from July 13–15, a time when families come together and welcome home the spirits of their ancestors. I remember we would visit the family grave to wash and scrub our family headstone, light incense, place a bouquet of flowers, and say a prayer. We would then go home and light a small fire in front of the house, to guide the spirits home.

Our second obon of the year was at Nishi Hongwanji on First Street. I got 6 tomatoes for $1.00 at the farmer’s market booth (!) and we took advantage of the variety of food—chirashi zushi, charsiu bao, chili rice (with a hot dog), and a bag of Okinawa dango.

A word about this dango…

I waited patiently in line, and with just one person ahead of me, they ran out. No! But they were making more (whew!). A few minutes passed, and I was starting to get impatient. But all those feelings disappeared when I was handed the warm, grease-stained bag. I knew it was worth the wait. A very generous sprinkling of cinnamon sugar, and I was good to go. This dango was crispy and sweet on the outside, soft and dense on the inside. Lo~ved it.

Upcoming obons:
July 18–19: Orange County Buddhist Church
July 18–19: Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple
July 25–26: Higashi Hongangi Buddhist Temple
July 25–26: West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple
August 1–2: Gardena Buddhist Church

Click here for more obon festivals happening in the U.S. this summer.

This was my first time going to Senshin’s obon. We heard a great performance by Andagi—an Okinawan shamisen group based out of Gardena—ate chili rice, shaved ice, and danced to the beat of the taiko drum.

Afterwards we all made our way to the temple to offer incense and light a candle in memory of those who have passed. Somen and fruit punch were served and we stayed long enough to hear one taiko performance. It was past Sa’s bedtime and it was clear we needed to get her to bed. Even though we headed home early, we left satisfied with good food, good music, memories of the past, and happy we shared the evening with a community of friends.

A few more obons in the coming months:
July 11–12: Nishi Hongwanji
July 25–26: Higashi Hongangi Buddhist Temple
August 1–2: Gardena Buddhist Church

Click here for more obon festivals happening in the U.S. this summer.

Daikokuya’s tonkotsu ramen is made from kurobuta and is the best ramen I’ve eaten outside Japan. Their ramen is topped generously with green onions, slices of kurobuta chashu, menma (pickled bamboo shoots), bean sprouts, and a soft-boild egg. The egg is marinated overnight  and the result is flavor-packed perfection—one of the things I look forward to most when the steaming bowl lands in front of me. Before digging in I cover it in a blizzard of white pepper and a small spoonful of the mashed garlic set out on the table.

Recently, they’ve added a new menu item: kichimen. The flyer on the wall described it as their new version of tsukemen, spicy and sour. I was intrigued. I’m not a huge fan of tsukemen, but this sounded different. The first sip was good, but I wasn’t blown away by the combination of flavors. Going in, my expectations may have been too high, so I made a note self not to stray from their original ramen. But then, something weird happened. As the meal continued, that broth (oh, that broth!) turned me into some kind of addict. I couldn’t stop myself from slurping spoonful after spoonful. How’d they do that?

Everything on the menu is generally good but aside from the ramen, the fried rice and gyoza are exceptional. The only things I’d avoid are the donburi and sushi items. I’ve tried both and by the end of the meal, wished I had stuck with their ramen instead. If you have an aversion for green onion, make sure you tell your waiter—here, green onions are served in mountainous forms, both in the ramen and on top of the gyoza.

You also can’t talk about Daikokiya without mentioning their décor. The interiors are vintage Japan circa 1960s and there’s nothing like it in all of Little Tokyo.

Oh, and if it’s your first time at Daikokuya, expect a line.

Daikokuya
327 East First Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-1680 (no reservations)