the ramen tour, stop #3: shisen ramen.

a week after our stop at asa ramen, the ramen tour brought c and i to shisen ramen, in torrance. while over the years i've known many of my old co-workers to go to shisen for lunch or dinner, i myself had never been. i know it's mostly due to the fact that i'm not that big on ramen to begin with. (but let it be said that i'm enjoying the tour so far...)

after going over the menu for a bit (it's the most extensive menu we've encountered so far on the ramen tour), c decides to order the paiko ramen, i order the chashu ramen, and we also get some gyoza and daikon salad to share. our ramens are essentially the same, except for the protein. the paiko, which turned out to be deep fried pork - but not breaded, was seasoned with what i think was five spice. very tasty, but at the same time i know it's the kind of taste that i would get tired of quickly and not eat anymore after a certain point. the chashu was decent but not the best i've had. the signature broth is on the spicy side. i really liked the fact that there was lots of veggies in the topping, but i hated the fact that my noodles were like a big tangled mess in the bottom of my bowl under the soup and the veggies. lots of manipulation with chopsticks and swishing in the broth were required to set my noodles free for consumption.





the gyoza here was a disappointment. tiny, and a little on the mushy side. looking at the gyoza, it looks good - the skin has a bit of color on it and looks like it would be decently crispy. however, three shops down on the tour and the gyoza from gardena ramen is still my favorite. the daikon salad was refreshing, and the little bit of seaweed and katsuo (bonito) shavings on top of the daikon strands added a different yummy-ness to the salad. it was probably the best thing i ate that night.



i don't think i need to go back to shisen ramen anytime soon. or possibly ever...

shisen ramen * 1730 sepulveda blvd. #6 * torrance, ca 90501