Japanese comfort food is one of my favorite things. I have long loved the traditional style Omurice at Foo Foo Tei and so when the videos of the creamy and delicate Kichi Kichi style Omurice went viral those years back…. I was enthralled. I have even tried my hand at making it home (P even got me the official Omurice Skillet and spatula set one Christmas!) But, I have yet to master the technique and have left it to masters like at Bar Moga in NYC.
Also in NYC was when I first heard of Kyuramen and growing chain that featured this style of Omurice. I could never make it when there, but I was keeping an eye on their westward expansion. They announced a California location and hoped it would land here not north. Well they just opened in Arcadia about a month ago… in a tucked away small strip mall off Las Tunas!
Walking up, it looks like a Boba Shop, which it also is, but you walk in and turn the corner and the restaurant has that same kitschy neo Japanese look that the NYC location has!
To Start, we ordered the Chasu Bun and Takoyaki to start
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The bun had a nice chonky piece of pork, very tender and well marinated. The bun was not as tender as we would like. So while it wasn’t bad, we would not order it again. The Takoyaki on the other hand. No notes! It was shatteringly crisp and well seasoned. One of the better renditions of this dish we’ve had.
It’s mainly a ramen place and the Ramen is solid. I found the broth not too rich, but a touch too porky for my taste. The noodles were on the softer side, but not a disaster. The star was the Charshu, which was super tender and the jammy egg. It had a stellar marinade. You only get a half and next time, I would totally order an extra.
They also had an interesting condiment for the ramen. Sauerkraut Pepper. It was very much like preserved veggie! It was a great add to the Ramen. Next time I would order the Chicken Yuzu ramen and think this would be great with!
And now…the Omurice…
You get your choice of with or without Tonkatsu. With Demiglace or Curry. Since it was our first time, I ordered with Tonkatsu, which was a small portion (Foo Foo Tei’s is much bigger) but was well fried and crisp. I chose Curry because it’s my favorite thing, but the curry turned out to be pretty pedestrian. Next time I’ll get it with Demi Glacé. The fried rice it is on top of has bits of Chicken in it so there is a bit more to it than just eggs and rice if you do decide to forgo the Katsu.
They cut the omelette at the table snd just like the videos, it just pours out. So good! It’s goes well with the rice, which is seasoned with sansho. I would have preferred Ketchup Fried Rice, but it still was really good with the tender barely runny egg…
The Omurice comes with tea or lemonade. I chose lemonade. It’s a nice sized glass and fresh tasting. It’s sweetened slightly, so it tastes like those sour lemon candies.
I would not put this place on the tier of the really higher end artisan ramen places like Tsujita. It runs pretty much like a casual spot. But I would definitely return for that Omurice and the Takoyaki as well try a little more of their menu. Plus a visit to 626 Hospitality afterwards is never a bad thing.
