Magnum Incendium Ramen

mexicali

Orochon Ramen serves it big, hot, and cheap

By Eric Dzinski

There are two extra levels of spice to test your resolve, and the restaurant warns you to eat at your own risk. If that sounds like a challenge, it is.

The first time I ate at Orochon Ramen in Little Tokyo, I was cold, wet and miserable. My party of four huddled under the eave while we waited for a table, trying our best to avoid the rain that was slowly seeping its way up my pant leg. All I wanted when we made it inside was a cup of hot tea, and indeed it was the first thing I ordered just as I sat down.

“Sorry,” the waiter said, “we don’t have hot tea, but I can bring you some iced tea at room temperature.”
What kind of ramen restaurant doesn’t serve hot tea?

The short answer is Orochon Ramen, located on the third floor of Weller Court off of East 1st Street and San Pedro. The longer answer involves the main attraction of the restaurant, which puts tea to shame in its ability to chase off the cold, clear the sinuses and challenge even the bravest palate.

Aside from a very reasonable price—a full meal is less than $10 per person—the ramen served at Orochon has very little in common with the dehydrated bricks you used to eat in college. Thick, fresh, Japanese style noodles are mixed with pork (you can ask for vegetarian) and vegetables like green onions, mushrooms, and bean sprouts, and served hot in a bowl that you could use to mix salads. While they do make a gesture toward other Japanese fare like teriyaki platters and stir fries, the noodles are the real draw at Orochon. And draw they do.

I have been to Orochon twice: a late weekday lunch in December and dinner in January. The house was packed both times with a solid mix of college kids out for a cheap fill-up, couples looking for a well- prepared meal, and Little Tokyo locals go- ing for a taste of the old country.

“Weekdays and lunchtimes are usually pretty chill,” says Restaurant Manager Yuka Mizusawa. If a twenty-minute wait for a table is what she considers chill, I’d hate to see busy.

Fortunately, Orochon does let you take a menu out on the balcony to peruse while you wait. Not that choosing your meal takes much time. Your only choices consist of what kind of broth you want (soy, miso or salt) and just how spicy you like it. The rest is a matter of trusting that Orochon knows how to make a good ramen. For a little extra you can have them double up the fixins or add some non-standard ingredients like tofu or garlic. You can also pay a little extra to increase the heat. There are two extra levels of spice to test your resolve, and the restaurant warns you to eat at your own risk. If that sounds like a challenge, it is.

If you finish the entire bowl of Special Spice #2 in thirty minutes or less, your name and photo will be immortalized on the Orochon Wall of Fame. There are no cash prizes, no t-shirts and you still have to pay for the meal. The only prize is a Polaroid and lifetime bragging rights. But that is enough for the thousands of people who have taken the challenge since Orochon opened in 2002.

“Food challenges are common in Japan,” says Mizusawa, who explains that the challenge was imported along with the ramen recipe from the original Orochon in Yokohama.
Mizusawa also says that more than a hundred eaters will test their tastebuds every week, but only about one or two percent actually manage to polish off the bowl in under half an hour.
One of those victorious few was Man Vs. Food host Adam Richman, who visited Orochon in January 2009. His photo and a few thousand others have moved from the Wall of Fame to the stack of photo albums you can also peruse while waiting to get inside.

Once you get in, you will find a small, triangular space with tables and chairs crammed into every conceivable spot, all of them filled with eager eaters. You will be seated at a table with just enough space for a drink and a very large bowl of soup for everyone in your party. But really, what else do you need?

Actually there is one more thing you need. After about half a bowl of special #2, you will find yourself in desperate want of a glass of whole milk to neutralize the capsaicin. But don’t ask, because Orochon doesn’t have milk.

What kind of ramen restaurant doesn’t serve milk?

 

Orochon Ramen is located on the third floor of the Weller Court at 123 Astronaut East South Onizuka Street. They are open seven days a week from 11 AM to 10:30 PM. (213) 617-1766, but don’t bother to call ahead, because they don’t take reservations.


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