GOMEN Stanton, Ca.
This is a place you will be hearing quite a bit about on this blog. You see this particular Ramen-ya is what you might call,"my local". Two and a half miles from my house. How happy am I? Very.
7174 Katella Ave. Stanton, Ca. 90680 (714) 761-8007
Well my wife and I go Friday night, and right away I sense a different vibe. The place is not packed as usual, but there is a wait to be seated. The same two women who serve are there, and we know what they are capable of, quick and efficient, non stop friendly service. Something else is wrong, and after sitting for a while and looking into the kitchen, as you do, I see that the proprietor is running the kitchen by himself. Now this meant of coarse that food would come from the kitchen a bit slower, but you got to hand it to the guy, he wasn't any slower than a normal restaurant with a full compliment. Every time I go I find new reasons to be excited about this place. Think about the passion this fellow must have about his Ramen, Katsudon is another story, more on that later. Now on to the review.
I had the #2 Tonkotsu Shoyu, "A" combination. The "A" means Ramen + fried rice. I usually get the "B" combo, Ramen + gyoza, but hadn't tried the chahan yet, so I decided to give it a go, and boy am glad I did. You see I'm a pickled ginger fanatic. If I knew that the chahan came with a great big heaping clump of pickled ginger, I would have gotten it much sooner. Now don't get me wrong, I love gyoza, and Gomen gyoza is no slouch, but it's just not my favorite. I like more pork and garlic, this gyoza has too much cabbage for my liking, it might as well be an egg roll in my view.
The tonkotsu was brilliant. Even with no one else in the kitchen this chef manages to deliver perfection in a bowl. I love the aroma of the broth as the bowl is placed on the table. I love the artful composition of the garnish. The chashu fanned out like a winning poker hand when you've been called, hanjuku egg resting on top of the chashu, menma opposite the egg for balance, finished with a couple of sprigs of negi right in the center. As an artist, looking at a bowl of ramen is like looking at a Monet Rembrandt or Vermeer. The chashu was heavenly, as always. This stuff is just so melt in your mouth you can't believe it. The hanjuku egg was a bit hard boiled for my liking, I like it a little runny, but the marinade more than makes up for it. Menma was a good supporting player, as was the negi. The noodles were their usual standard good, not great, but with everything this ramen has going for it, I'll take good noodles over bad happily. My favorite bit was being able to let the pickled ginger mingle with the other ingredients. This stuff takes an otherwise great ramen and send it into the stratosphere. This is ramen on steroids.
The chahan was good. I left some ginger behind in the rice bowl to eat with the rice, I now see why it comes with it.
Jan however had a much different experience. She ordered their #29, Katsudon. We should have known something was up when she ordered it, cause the first thing the waitress did when she said #29 was stopped to excuse herself, and went to the kitchen, presumably to ask it it was still on. When she returned she said it was OK, that there was katsu available. When it arrived I was so into my ramen I hadn't noticed anything was up. At some point Jan offered some of her dish for me to try, as she usually does, and I was stunned. How could a guy that gets ramen so right, get a simple Tonkatso so wrong. This pork was like rubber. Thankfully the rest of the dish was fine, so she decided to not bring it up to the waitress because of the kitchen staff problem, we might still be there waiting for a replacement. Prices here are very good. Nowhere else could you get as full as we did and be out of there for two people for under 20 bucks, tip and all.
So for the stellar ramen, weighed against the less than stellar katsudon, I give this visit to Gomen four chopsticks. Which may sound harsh, but to earn a six everyone at my table must get great food and service. Tonight, on balance, was a near miss.
7174 Katella Ave. Stanton, Ca. 90680 (714) 761-8007
Well my wife and I go Friday night, and right away I sense a different vibe. The place is not packed as usual, but there is a wait to be seated. The same two women who serve are there, and we know what they are capable of, quick and efficient, non stop friendly service. Something else is wrong, and after sitting for a while and looking into the kitchen, as you do, I see that the proprietor is running the kitchen by himself. Now this meant of coarse that food would come from the kitchen a bit slower, but you got to hand it to the guy, he wasn't any slower than a normal restaurant with a full compliment. Every time I go I find new reasons to be excited about this place. Think about the passion this fellow must have about his Ramen, Katsudon is another story, more on that later. Now on to the review.
I had the #2 Tonkotsu Shoyu, "A" combination. The "A" means Ramen + fried rice. I usually get the "B" combo, Ramen + gyoza, but hadn't tried the chahan yet, so I decided to give it a go, and boy am glad I did. You see I'm a pickled ginger fanatic. If I knew that the chahan came with a great big heaping clump of pickled ginger, I would have gotten it much sooner. Now don't get me wrong, I love gyoza, and Gomen gyoza is no slouch, but it's just not my favorite. I like more pork and garlic, this gyoza has too much cabbage for my liking, it might as well be an egg roll in my view.
The tonkotsu was brilliant. Even with no one else in the kitchen this chef manages to deliver perfection in a bowl. I love the aroma of the broth as the bowl is placed on the table. I love the artful composition of the garnish. The chashu fanned out like a winning poker hand when you've been called, hanjuku egg resting on top of the chashu, menma opposite the egg for balance, finished with a couple of sprigs of negi right in the center. As an artist, looking at a bowl of ramen is like looking at a Monet Rembrandt or Vermeer. The chashu was heavenly, as always. This stuff is just so melt in your mouth you can't believe it. The hanjuku egg was a bit hard boiled for my liking, I like it a little runny, but the marinade more than makes up for it. Menma was a good supporting player, as was the negi. The noodles were their usual standard good, not great, but with everything this ramen has going for it, I'll take good noodles over bad happily. My favorite bit was being able to let the pickled ginger mingle with the other ingredients. This stuff takes an otherwise great ramen and send it into the stratosphere. This is ramen on steroids.
The chahan was good. I left some ginger behind in the rice bowl to eat with the rice, I now see why it comes with it.
Jan however had a much different experience. She ordered their #29, Katsudon. We should have known something was up when she ordered it, cause the first thing the waitress did when she said #29 was stopped to excuse herself, and went to the kitchen, presumably to ask it it was still on. When she returned she said it was OK, that there was katsu available. When it arrived I was so into my ramen I hadn't noticed anything was up. At some point Jan offered some of her dish for me to try, as she usually does, and I was stunned. How could a guy that gets ramen so right, get a simple Tonkatso so wrong. This pork was like rubber. Thankfully the rest of the dish was fine, so she decided to not bring it up to the waitress because of the kitchen staff problem, we might still be there waiting for a replacement. Prices here are very good. Nowhere else could you get as full as we did and be out of there for two people for under 20 bucks, tip and all.
So for the stellar ramen, weighed against the less than stellar katsudon, I give this visit to Gomen four chopsticks. Which may sound harsh, but to earn a six everyone at my table must get great food and service. Tonight, on balance, was a near miss.
Labels: Orange County
posted by Dan G at 7:13 AM
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