Orochon Ramen — The Spiciest Ramen in LA..

Interesting stuff….  I’ve heard of the spiciest curries, both Japanese and Indian or maybe the hottest chilli contest but the spiciest ramen?  My best cuz in LA took me to this shop which was featured on Man vs Food, again coming from asia the portions are HUGE!  I chose the 3rd level spicy ramen in Shio broth while my two peeps chose the 4th level with miso broth.  The eggs weren’t properly cooked tho, it was hard boiled which is rare to see in Japanese ramen shops since they almost always featured onsen eggs or soft boiled eggs.  The shio broth was easy to eat i must say, not too thick while the miso was rather rich and salty.  I mixed the two soups together and found it perfect. The pork was cooked right, although i would prefer more Japanese scallions in my ramen.  The spiciness was more heat like peppery heat rather than the chilli heat us thais are used too.  I loved the experience hanging out with my cuz… It was great fun…  If you eat like an asian, well not american born asian, the portions are huge so sharing is fine.

Orochon Menu
Drinks Selection
IMG_2792
Ambience & Hall of Fame

Servers are nice, but i think drinks are a bit pricy.  If you order drinks it comes in a can, i guess i’m used to those refillable teas, but the fun comfy shop makes up for it.  It was crowded when we ate, but the tables were nicely spaced apart.  Simply you weren’t too squished together.  There’s both indoor and outdoor seating, if i remember correctly about 20 people outside and maybe 30 people inside?

IMG_2790
Calpico – Yogurty Soda…
IMG_2786
Green Tea – Non Sweetened
IMG_2795
A slight disappointment… Should be soft boiled or at least a really runny yolk…
IMG_2793
Shio Ramen – 3rd Level Spicy
IMG_2796
Miso Ramen – 4th Spiciness Level
IMG_2798
Delicious Level —- Empty Bowls… Go Figure…

All in all, a great experience.  Go look at the walls, it’s funny!  The small sized people are the ones who win pretty often!!  If i ever fly back to USA i’d definitely go back and try the spiciest level.  Might bring my own soft boiled eggs tho…

Advertisement

In & Out Burger

OH MY GOD… Deliciousness…. Perfectly toasted buns, non of those fake, chemical induced color on buns, yummy patty and crispy greens.  Now that’s a real burger…. YUM YUM YUM… Forget Mcdonalds and Carls Jr.. Even the angus beef ones didnt match up to an ordinary 2 buck burger.  YUM YUM YUM

IMG_2769

IMG_2770

IMG_2773

Khao Soi – Northern Thai Curry noodles

On my trip to Chiang Rai – northern part of Thailand, about 2 hours drive from Chiang Mai i stayed in sick during a marketing survey trip.  I wandered about 2 minutes from my hotel i found a quaint little shop selling this Khao Soi…  (Now Curry noodles are my least favorite, i think noodles should stay in a clear broth and coconut cream or milk should belong only in the curry genre and eaten with rice)  I admit, i hate curry noodles…..  Then the sign caught my attention.

Image
                                Sign in front of store

Since 1929 you say…. Now it’s 2013, that’s 84 years old. They must have something great, i thought. Adjacent to the sign was the pot of boiling broth and the condiments. Since they are Islamic food, there were 2 options of chicken or beef.

Image
                                      Broth Pot
Image
Condiments…

I ordered a beef Khao Soy and sat down looking at other customers.  They seemed to be enjoying their noodles which is a good sign. And i admit, it did smell really nice.  Now Khao Soi is an interesting fusion of thai, chinese and indian influences.  Thais and chinese do not  use spices like in indian foods and which taste same way. Thai curries and Indian curries are vastly different  This was the perfect example of how 3 cultures mixed together, curry, noodles and thai chilli paste all in a bowl.  It usually consists of egg noodles, chicken or beef, broth, coconut cream accompanied with lime, pickled vegetables and shallots, topped with fried egg noodles for a crunchy texture.  It used to sound horrific to me, seriously, i’m a purist i’m not a fan of fusion food. But…..

Image
Beef Khao Soi with condiments – Lime, Shallot and Pickled Mustard Greens

It was beyond delicious, the broth was beefy, the hint of curry and coconut cream balance was just right.  The lime and chilies that i added in help accentuate everything, it was so good i was shocked for a while.  When i regained my composure i ordered 30 sets to bring back to Bangkok for my staff.  Now i had a fever, cold and real bad headache.  I got a foam box, packed in ice, packed in everything and carried it with me and flew back to Bangkok.  It was that damn good.  No wonder they stayed open for so long. And guess what… It costs about 1 usd…. Or well 1.10 usd.  

Lasso – (Last night in NYC)

We stopped for a quick bite, me, him and my sista on the way to Happy Endings (A club that used to be a Chinese massage parlour for last night drinks)  We were trying to find some other pizza place but oh boy it was yummy but it was cold and we were hungry.  We ordered only two dishes because the portions in this country seems to feed an army not 3 tiny asians.  I ordered the carbonara, just wanted to see how different it was, and a pizza with meatballs, cause my sis said it’s a crime not to eat meatballs in the usa.  I must say, great job on both counts, the carbonara was made with heavy cream i supposed which isn’t available in Thailand so carbonaras back home isn’t this thick.  The pizza was thin crusted, sauce was tomatoey and fresh and the meatballs tasted delish.  I would find this place again.  I wish i could have tried the tiramisu, but was just too full.  I think NYC is full of little gems that doesn’t need to be one of those highly rated, everyone’s talking about it with long ques and celebrity chefs filming there.

       IMG_2741IMG_2742Table Setting

IMG_2751

 IMG_2753 IMG_2744