Immediately, after entering this late night ramen house, one is greeted by the two chefs behind the bar with an incredibly loud, “Irashaimasen!”
After sitting down, one simply cannot order fast enough. This Japanese ramen house is the epitome of the term authentic, and brings customers in six nights a week right up until last call at 1 a.m.
Make sure to throw away any Top Ramen you may already have, because this ramen house will put those instant meals to shame. The ramen noodles offered at Asa Ramen are its signature dish.
For first timers, the “Kottri Shoyu” ramen is your best choice. This ramen is the most basic, but is still full of flavor and really hits the spot right. The regular “Kottri Shoyu” ramen comes with basic soup or broth, very skinny ramen noodles cooked to perfection, green onion and bamboo shoots. The “Kottri Shoyu” ramen is $6.95 for a regular sized portion, but if you’re feeling courageous, for the extra $2, one should try for the large size bowl.
Extra toppings are also available for all of your ramen needs. For one extra dollar, “chasu,” which is cod roe, can be added to your noodle soup. Kim chee and marinated shoyu egg are also available for $1 extra. That’s not all however, for only 50 cents extra, green onion and Asa Ramen’s signature butter pork back fat can also be added to your ramen.
Not a fan of ramen noodles? That’s all right! Asa Ramen has a menu full of other delicious Japanese food as well. Most popular at Asa Ramen is their pan seared, “gyoza” or pot sticker dumplings. Edamame, a type of bean, different types of tofu and other familiar items like fried rice and green salads are also available. For the more adventurous eater, “takowasa” or wasabi marinated raw octopus, and “kaki furai” which are deep fried oysters are always freshly prepared.
Asa Ramen is a very casual restaurant. It is very small, and only seats up to 4 people at several small tables. Bar side seating is also available where customers can watch the chefs work behind the counter. The service is top notch and the servers are always very polite and are quick to bring you anything you might need. Asa Ramen is dimly lit, and is decorated to resemble a small Japanese fishing village. The atmosphere is very casual and has a very homey touch. Fishing nets adorn the walls and the place mats are hand-made from bamboo.
The restaurant has odd hours however and is only open Monday to Saturday from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. when they take their last orders. Due to its odd hours, the crowd tends to be mostly younger individuals. It’s located at 18202 Western Ave. in Gardena.
Asa Ramen is more recommended as a way to wind down for the night with your friends after hanging out on the weekends.
