Yumeya

On Valentine’s Day this year, as a lone wolf I decided to give a tour of UCLA to the Soka University of Japan undergraduates, who have arrived just the day before. Although everyone looked a little jet lagged, they were enthusiastic to touring around UCLA. To break the ice, I asked everyone what their favorite food was. “Rice Balls!” shouted one of them in English. The Japanese professor at UCLA recommended Yumeya, touting that as his favorite go-to ramen place in LA.

I went there today with a couple of friends, and Yumeya is definitely does unassuming from the outside: 

However, inside was a cosy tavern feel, with very friendly Japanese servers. You can tell the place serves authentic ramen because English is not their native language. The label on the vinegar bottle spells “vineger”. However, I do like that they have soy sauce, vinegar, chili powder and chili oil at the table. And good wooden chop sticks that do not splinter. We went to order the tonkotsu ramen, and some free garlic and free smiles. “I’d like to order a tonkotsu ramen and a free smile please,” my friend said. The Japanese waitress immediately smiled wide and posed for a few seconds. Seriously, the free smile is part of the side order menu (look at the bottom):

Now the verdict for the tonkotsu ramen:                                                                                                    The broth was light yet a creamy golden color, and not overly salty like many other ramen broths. Yumeya’s ramen broth was boiled for 18 hours, and has a light consistency.  The ramen noodles are thin and slightly on the soft side, which pairs well with the light blanched beansprouts. The cha shu slices are thinner than I want it to be. Yumeya is not for you, if you like the rich, salty and fatty ramen. Their ramen is very light on the stomach. I think it was good, but my friend found it bland. 

Sadly, I forgot to add a marinated egg to my ramen, which I usually do (and also how well I rate my ramen). I got distracted by the delicious lunch combo: for another $3 you get three pieces of karaage chicken. They were larger pieces of meat that was light and crispy on the outside, but tremendously juicy on the inside. That extra squeeze of lemon juice and a touch of mayo pairs wells with the karaage chicken. 

We were also served free garlic. My other two buddies did not want the fresh garlic cloves, so I had six pieces altogether. What I did not know is that you were supposed to mince your own garlic. I threw four cloves of garlic into my tonkotsu soup before realizing that they gave me a mincer. So rule number 1: Don’t drown your garlic cloves. Pulverize them first. I was hoping that the heat of the ramen broth would lightly cook and tender sweet the garlic cloves. That did not happen as I bit into the raw and pungent garlic cloves, my eyes slightly tearing up. But hey, perfect for clearing my sinuses! So, please use the garlic mincer (pictured right above the ramen bowl). As you can see from the picture, I had four cloves of garlic floating in my tonkotsu broth,  at the point of no return. The chili oil and chili powder also added a nice extra kick. There is a lot more noodles than you think, and I got pretty full.

As you leave Yumeya, there is free lollipop and Japanese gum at the door. And oh, I almost forgot to mention, the receipt says “Yumena”.

Rating: 5.5/10