Hakata Shin-Sen-Gumi (Rosemead, CA)

Hakata Shin-Sen-Gumi (Rosemead, CA - SGV)



All ramen served at this noodle shop is Hakata-style tonkotsu. Ramen served with tonkotsu broth along with thin, square-ish noodles is known as Kyushu style. The Hakata district of Fukuoka in southern Japan is well-known for its numerous ramen street carts or stalls known as yatai. This Hakata style is synonymous with the tonkotsu-style ramen, the origins of this marvelous soup base. The standard tare of shio (salt), shoyu (soy), or miso is typically not added directly by the chefs but are added later tableside by the diner. Their standard offering is served with chashu(long-simmered marinated pork belly), negi(scallion), tamago(egg), and benisoga (pickled radish) and topped with sesame seeds. The chasu was VERY thinly sliced with no discernable fat to it--tasted much like sliced roast beef/pork. Very thin firm noodle (hosomen). Really enjoyable. Hakata Shin-Sen-Gumi’s broth was unctuous and beautifully subtle--sensational. Pleasant “silky-lip” effect, what I affectionately call the pleasantly thin coat of fat that glazes your lips whenever tasting a well-made bone-based stock. It also had a nice fresh ginger element to it. The toppings here suffered, however.Tamago was gray-ringed and tasted day-old. Pickled radish (beni soga) was very vinegary and spicy (good).

Shin-Sen-Gumi has a warm and friendly izakaya-like atmosphere. I loved that. I can see this place would be a great late night drunken hangout but the youthful servers there still had the right attitude in the daylight hours when I visited.

Excellent overall ramen.

Hakata Shin-Sen-Gumi
8450 E Valley Blvd
Rosemead, CA
(626) 572-8646

Other Los Angeles-area ramen noodle shops:
Umemura Ramen & Shisen Ramen
Shin Mama Ramen
Gardena Ramen & Foo Foo Tei Ramen
Daikokuya Ramen
Chin-ma-ya Ramen
Santouka Ramen
Asa Ramen

Rob,

In your Tampopoesque quest for ramen, the best I've had in the states has been @ Biwa in Portland Oregon. Extramsg took me originally and then I just kept going back.

215 SE 9th Ave
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 239-8830

That looks great, man... thanks for sharing... Brings back memories of Japan and Hawaii of all places...

This looks amazing, PIGMON.

As you described above, Hakata-style ramen is sought-after throughout Japan (one of the ramen meccas).

In fact, a Japanese friend said he took a train 4 hours to Hakata, ate at 5 or 6 yatai and then took the train back.

This country needs high speed rail.