the ramen tour, stop #6: hakata ramen shinsengumi.

a week after our visit to yamadaya, and since our list of ramen shops wasn't very long to begin with, we'd come to the point where there weren't many places that were new to both of us, only one of us. c was driving us around for stop #6 and not wanting to go too far, we ended up at hakata ramen shinsengumi, which for reasons neither of us can fathom, is always crowded. however we got lucky and were able to be seated right away at the communal table. i'd only been there once and i can't even remember how long ago that was, and while c had probably been there more recently than me, she couldn't remember when that was, either.

their communal table has the most umcomfortable benches. maybe i have a big butt (ok, i DO have a big butt) but no matter what size your body, those benches are not comfortable. given that, maybe it helps them turnaround their customers quicker but let me just say that there was a couple (not sure if they were just friends or a real couple) who were done eating already when c and i sat down, but were still there when we left. and the conversation to be heard was not always good. the highlights? donkey poop and killing del taco tacos. it was like, please, we're eating here. but i digress.

we both ordered the combo that comes with the ramen, rice, a half order of gyoza, one side dish, and a soft drink. as such, choices abound! first it was how firm would we like our noodles? how much oil? is green onion and ginger ok in your ramen? which side dish? white rice or fried rice? and finally, what drink would you like? as we were both getting the same ramen, we both ordered different side dishes. c ordered the cheese tsutsumi age, and i opted for the nanban chicken karaage.



our gyoza and rice came out first, quickly followed by our fried side dishes. the gyoza wasn't bad, but some of them were really garlicky - as if the filling was not well mixed and/or the garlic in the filling was very coarsely chopped and not entirely cooked through. we definitely got the bitterness of raw garlic when we bit into it. the cheese tsutsumi age was interesting - it's a piece of mozzarella cheese wrapped in an egg roll wrapper and deep fried. who doesn't love anything deep fried? the only thing is if you eat it too slow or wait too long to eat it, the cheese isn't nice and gooey and melty anymore! the winning side dish at hakata ramen for me was the nanban chicken karaage. the fried chicken was probably good on its own, but with that salty and sour sauce on it, it was just that much tastier.



finally - the important part. the ramen itself. the broth of the ramen definitely did not have that umami factor, and reminded me of why i had stayed away. c said it was only a bit above making top ramen yourself. at least to us. to me, it was just salty - no umami - no layers of flavor or richness - but i'm sure there are tons of people out there who would beg to differ and swear by how GOOD hakata ramen is. they are all entitled to their opinion as i am to mine, they must be doing something right to have the crowds that they do. the noodles are just noodles - but i do like the fact that they ask to see how firm or soft you want your noodles. thus far on the tour we haven't encountered that decision, and if chewy noodles are what you want you can certainly get that here.



overall though, neither of us were really intrigued by the noodle offerings at hakata ramen shinsengumi. i'm not in any particular hurry to go back, and neither is c. we may never go back, at least on our own cognizance.

hakata ramen shinsengumi * 2015 w. redondo beach blvd. *gardena, ca 90247