Writer, photographer, traveler, cook and college friend from days yonder, Dani Kando-Kaiser reports on some of her favorite Japanese eateries in Los Angeles. Most of our college days together entailed wall to wall laughter, music obsessions and 'free' burritos from the campus coffeehouse where she worked. Good times. She is currently getting ready to publish a photo-essay book this Summer, a children's fairytale entitled, Dream in the Desert.
LA gets a pretty bad rap, doesn’t it? “It’s superficial, it has no substance, it’s so fake!” Having
lived much of my life in Northern California, I’d heard all of these
slights and more, but I’d always had a fondness for the impressive
vastness, the muchness, of the never-ending city. Almost two years to
the date that I’m writing this, my husband took a job in downtown LA,
and while I had the same mixed emotions we all have when we leave good
friends and an established life, I was totally unprepared for what was
to come – I feel head over heels in love.
Yeah, I have a
massive crush on LA, and it has everything to do with the fact that
it’s NOTHING like I thought it would be. For instance, that side of
town where the bubbly blonde billionaires live – that’s also home to the
second largest population of Ethiopians in the US and it’s where I had
the best Doro Wat of my life.
But, I live on what we call
the East Side, where we have the largest Chinese and Thai populations
outside of those two countries, as well as the largest concentration of
Central Americans in the US, and this makes for the most diverse
collection of restaurants you could imagine. And, when you add to this
both the competition of having so many restaurants and the abundance of
fresh, locally sourced, and healthful ingredients – LA really is a
culinary wonderland.
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| The cozy and delicious Daikokuya Ramen house |
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| Ultra-rich broth, fresh noodles and a marinated egg take this ramen to the next level |
One of my favorite
cuisines is Japanese and one of my favorite places for lunch is the tiny
and adorably scruffy Daikokuya ramen house in the Little Tokyo
neighborhood of Downtown LA. It’s warm and dark, and decorated in old
Japanese movie posters, the waiters are all friendly Japanese punk kids,
and the ramen is flawless. The noodles here are totally fresh and
served al dente, and the gorgeous little soft-boiled egg (my favorite
part, so I ask for an extra one) is marinated for extra flavor. But,
the star of the show is the broth. OMG that broth!!! It’s incredibly
rich and creamy, due to the fact that they let high quality korubuta pork,
bones and all, simmer for several hours. Some folks choose to add
koteri (pork back fat) to their ramen, which isn’t my thing, but makes
for an unarguably decadent treat. Me, I just add some of the fresh
garlic and ginger that comes with the ramen, as well as a couple dashes
of red pepper, and I’m in total ramen nirvana.
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| Sweet little sweets at Little Tokyo's legendary Fugetsu-Do |
After
I waddle out of Daikokuya, I head a few doors over to the adorable
sweet shop Fugetsu-Do. Owned and operated by the same family since
1903, Fugetsu-Do has an amazing history and is just a joy to visit. The
very affable owner, Brian Kito, loves to talk about his mochi and is the
creator of one of my favorite things to eat in LA – a cup of
fruit-flavored shaved ice with little pieces of chopped mochi. This
treat is only served in the summer, but at any time of the year,
you can choose from an amazing array of beautiful, fresh sweets. In my
house, we love the tiny jewel-like chrysanthemum mochi. And the
strawberry mochi filled with just a touch of peanut butter.
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| Superb red snapper with citrus, yuzu and crushed pink peppercorns |
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| Robata Jinya's grilled Japanese squash, foie gras and Kitsune meatballs |
On the other
end of LA, near the wonderful Original LA Farmers Market, is the lively
and addictive Robata Jinya. Taking the traditional robata grill to the
next level, Robata Jinya has an impressive number of unique items, all
in small quantities, so that you can easily and inexpensively try
everything you want to. Recently, my friends and I shared the grilled
foie gras, miso beef tongue, Japanese pumpkin, and lotus root. The foie
gras and tongue were incredibly tender, the pumpkin was smoky and
creamy, and the lotus root had a refreshingly clean snap to it. Also
fantastic here is the sashimi. In a town that has far too many mediocre
sushi restaurants, this is simply the best sashimi I’ve had. My
favorite is the always-impeccably –fresh red snapper with citrus, yuzu
and crushed pink peppercorns.
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| Robata Jinya manager, Q, pours fresh, organic soy milk to create the amazing fresh tofu |
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| Fresh tofu with green onions, sesame salt, fish flakes and a light soy sauce |
But, the best
dish here is very humble, but completely beyond compare – the Homemade
Tofu. When you order it, your server will first come to your table with
a slim three-sectioned dish containing razor-thin slices of green
onion, powdery sesame salt, and delicate coils of fish flakes. Next
will arrive a beautiful wooden tea pot, from which the server will pour a
thin stream of steaming ultra-fresh soy milk into a large earthenware
bowl. You will be ordered to wait, very patiently, for at least five
minutes, after which the server will come back and scoop the
now-solidified tofu into your little bowl. Sprinkle it with the three
accoutrements and a few drops of soy sauce, and take a spoonful of the
most ethereal dish imaginable. Not quite as thick as custard, but more
like a very light savory flan, there is nothing quite like it. When I
recently begged the always-gracious manager, a lovely older gentleman
who is simply known as Q, how I could make this delicacy at home, he
just smiled and said, “For this you need to known magic, and if I tell
you this, you won’t come see me anymore.”
As if!
Daikokuya
327 E. 1st st
Los Angeles
(more locations here)
t: 213 626 1680
Mon - Thurs: 11:00am - Midnight
Fri - Sat: 11:00am - 1:00am
Sunday: 11:00am - 11:00 pm
Fugetsu-Do Confectioners
315 E. 1st st.
Los Angeles
Sun - Thurs: 8:00am - 6:00pm
Fri - Sat: 8:00am - 7:00pm
Robata Jinya
8050 W. 3rd st.
Los Angeles
(more locations here)
t: 323 653 8877
Mon - Sun: Lunch, 11:30am - 3:00 & Dinner, 5:30pm - 11:00pm ( closed Sun. for lunch)
Photos and text: Dani Kando-Kaiser
