Santouka

This Japanese import was another ramen brand to gain early traction in LA, filling stalls at Mitsuwa market food courts on the Westside and in Torrance. The salt ramen is particularly addictive, teaming a cloudy, powerfully savory tonkotsu broth with fatty pork chashu, menma with pronounced medicinal bite, sesame seeds, a fish cake sporting a spiral pattern, and a single umeboshi (pickled plum) that may be tiny, but delivers outsized pucker. For truly hearty eaters, Santouka also provides the option to form a combo with a rice bowl, including a version with salmon flakes and bursting ikura.