No Bacon in Sight at Fukagawa for a Traditional Japanese Breakfast

Traditional Japanese breakfast definitely strays from the Western tradition of bacon and eggs, pancakes and waffles and in fact, is more like a meal you'd have for lunch or even dinner. In doing research to find out what restaurant serves a Japanese breakfast in the LA area, one place came up over and over and that was Fukagawa in the city of Gardena. So one early morning, a few members from my dining group made the trek out with me to this South Bay restaurant.

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Fukagawa is in a large shopping plaza and was a little difficult to find because it couldn't be viewed from the parking lot. It was literally tucked away in the corner at the end of the walkway, which started at the super market. Once you walk in and are seated, the entire breakfast menu can be seen in a small plastic holder.

Basically, you have A through D choices. If you choose A, you get a bowl of rice, miso soup, Japanese pickles, a seaweed sheet and a raw egg. What wasn't mentioned was a small bowl of cold tofu as well as tamagoyaki, a sweetened rolled omelet that was also included. Choice B was everything you got with choice A, but with Natto. Choice C was A + broiled fish or beef steak. Choice D was A + B + C. I opted for Choice D with the grilled fish, which turned out to be a salmon.

One thing that I wish I did beforehand was to get some more information about how to enjoy some of the various components that were on my tray like which I found here and here. First, let me mention something about Japanese etiquette. Apparently, it's custom to have the bowl of miso your right and the rice to your left. I don' t know why, so if any of you know the reason, please leave a comment. When it came to the dried seaweed, I knew that it was to be eaten with the rice. What I didn't know was that if you swirled the seaweed in your miso soup or dip it in soy sauce, it'll soften; hence, it'll be easier to wrap around the rice and eat it that way. That makes perfect sense now.

When it came to the natto, I was actually dreading it. I've tried it 3 different times at 3 other restaurants, but just can't seem to get over the "slimy" texture, but I thought I'd give it one more try. One spoonful and it still turned me off; however, one of my dining partners tried eating it with rice and she said it was better that way. I gave it a go and while it was a bit better, I can still say without a doubt that natto is just not for me. However, my dining buddy was on the right track. I later read that one way to enjoy the natto is to season it with soy sauce and karashi mustard and yes, place some on your steamed rice and eat them both together.

One thing I did know about ahead of the time was what to do with the raw egg and I actually read that as part of a Yelp review. Someone else in our group decided to go the raw egg route and here's how it works. Simply, break the egg in a bowl, add soy sauce, mix and then pour over your rice. Be sure your rice is really hot because it's that heat that help to cook that egg so that it's not completely raw and then enjoy.

If you happen to order the fish, it can be eaten on its own or it can be cut in pieces and added to your rice bowl or even mixed in the rice before you wrap it with the seaweed wrapper. Last, the tamagoyaki can be eaten with or without soy sauce or grated daikon. Of course, these are all just suggestions, but if you're going to eat a meal traditional to a certain country, you might as well go all out.

The breakfast at Fukagawa was a definite departure from what I normally have in the AM, but other than the natto, I could see myself enjoying this type of meal on a more regular basis. Although there are a lot of components, the food seems lighter and not as heavy as standard eggs and bacon fare nor is it as mundane as cereal and milk. Given that Fukagawa is way across town from me, it's doubtful that I'll be having a traditional Japanese breakfast as much as I would like. However, armed with the knowledge I have now, I think the meal will be even better, if I ever make a trip back.

Fukagawa
1630 Redondo Beach Blvd.
Gardena, CA 90247
(310) 324-4306

Click here to see all the pics!




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Hawaiian Breakfast at Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop

Of all the places you think you'd find a restaurant where you can order a Hawaiian breakfast, I bet that a bowling alley wouldn't even cross your mind. Yet, there truly is such a place because inside the walls of Gardena Bowl is the Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop, where the menu consists of regular American fare right next to both Japanese and Hawaiian specialties.

For this particular trek to the city of Gardena, enjoying a Hawaiian breakfast was the goal and it was a goal my dining partners met with gusto. Between the 8 of us, the two dishes ordered the most were the Loco Moco and the Hawaiian Royal, although a couple did go their own way.

The Loco Moco is a dish that is unique to Hawaiian Cuisine. Although there are many variations of it, the essential ingredients include white rice, a hamburger patty, a fried egg with brown gravy. History has stated that the Loco Moco was created by the Inouye family, owners of the Lincoln Grill in Hilo, Hawaii in 1949. Apparently, a group of boys from the Lincoln Wreckers Sports Club were the inspiration for this dish. Looking for cheap eats, one of the boys, George Okimoto, nicknamed "Crazy" because of the wild way he played football, was nominated by the others to ask Nancy Inouye if she'd put some rice in a saimin bowl along with one hamburger patty with brown gravy poured over both items.

She charged a mere 25 cents, which was much more affordable than ordering a regular hamburger steak entree. Since the word "crazy" was loco in Spanish, this new dish was named "loco moco" in George's honor. Apparently, the word "moco" came into play simply because it rhymed. The boys didn't know at the time that moco meant "mucus" in Spanish. This off menu item soon made into Lincoln Grill's regular menu and became widely popular all over Hawaii. The egg was actually added later. My fellow diners who decided on the Loco Moco seemed quite content with their choice. I've had Loco Moco before, so I decided to pass on it in favor of the Hawaiian Royal.

I couldn't find much info on the Hawaiian Royal, so perhaps it just doesn't have as much of a colorful history as the Loco Moco. This particular dish has a plethora of ingredients that included Portuguese Sausage, Chasu, Green Onions and Eggs Over a Bed of Rice with Teriyaki Sauce. When it arrived, I already knew that I wasn't going to finish the whole meal, but I was going to do my best and take home the rest.

The Hawaiian Royal was already quite a mish mash, but I went ahead and mixed it more so that the teriyaki sauce was mixed evenly throughout the dish. Than I took my first bite. That's when I wished that I had asked for that teriyaki sauce on the side. It was a little too sweet. However, it did come with a little bowl of hot mustard, so as I ate each spoonful, I'd top it with the mustard to counter the teriyaki sauce. It was a tasty dish, , but I felt a little overwhelmed by it. I think there was just too much to it. I longed for the simplicity of the Loco Moco.

As mentioned, the two dishes above were what people ordered the most. However, one person opted for the Bacon Fried Rice and an order of the Portuguese Sausage and wasn't that impressed by either dish.

Someone else went straight for lunch and ordered a Chicken Katsu with Veggie Tempura and seemed quite satisfied with their choice.

Foodwise, I only get up early for dim sum, so this was a different direction for me, but it's always interesting experiencing how different cultures view breakfast. As a Filipina, breakfast consisted of everything from fried fish and rice to fried Spam, eggs and rice mixed with banana ketchup. As you can see, Philippines shares the same rice sensibility with Hawaii. Overall, it was a fun outing, but the next time I go for a Hawaiian breakfast, I'll stick with the Loco Moco or try something different other than the Hawaiian Royal dish.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157616371663258/

Gardena Bowl
15707 S. Vermont Avenue
Gardena, CA 90247
(310) 324-1244
www.gardenabowl.com

"South Bay's Taste of Japan" - Lunch at Otafuku

As a part of my continuing series exploring Japanese dining in the South Bay, next on the agenda was a visit to Otafuku in Gardena, CA. Otafuku is a soba house that is supposedly so good that fans from all over LA will make the trek to this unassuming restaurant just to experience what they consider to be soba noodle greatness. So what makes Otafuku so special? In short, its owner, Seiji Akutsu.

On the menu, there are two types of soba noodles, the seiro (sarashina soba) and the zaru (brown soba). What's unique about both noodles is that Seiji uses only bottled spring water to mix in with the flour and then kneads the dough by hand in small batches. This is no small task since you have to take into account the temperature and the air's humidity when deciding on the amount of water to be mixed with the flour to ensure the best results for the dough. While both noodles are made the same way, the difference lies in the type of flour used. The seiro uses gozen-ko (flour milled from the white buckwheat heart) while the zaru is made with ichiban-ko (second milling flour) and blended with a small amount of wheat flour.

What drew me to Otafuku for my first time soba noodle experience really had to do with how I viewed Seiji Akutsu to be a real artisan, who really took care in making his creations, which in this case were noodles. Considering all the rave reviews I read, I definitely was looking forward to my meal there.

Once we were were seated and upon perusing the menu, my party opted to share a few dishes which included the pickled vegetables, the sea eel tempura, roasted seaweed and vegetable tempura. When it came to the noodles, some of us ordered the seiro noodles and others ordered the zaru noodles. By the way, the words "seiro" and "zaru" have more to do with the type of basket the noodles are served in, not the actual name of the noodles. As noted earlier, the seiro are the sarashina soba noodles while the zaru are the brown soba noodles.

First, let me talk about our group's shared dishes where the two standouts were the sea eel and vegetable tempura items. The tempura in general is definitely the best tempura I've ever had. The batter was crunchy, light and non-greasy. When you take a look at my photos below, you'll see that a light hand was used, just enough to give you a nice crunch without you having to eat your way through a thick batter before you even taste the "filling" inside. As for the eel, the meat was delicate and moist, which isn't surprising since Seiji purchases only fresh eel for this dish. The vegetable tempura was cooked perfectly and perfect for me, is when the vegetables still retain a little bit of crispness and aren't overcooked.

Soon our noodles arrived. I had ordered a special combo which consisted of brown soba noodles, a shrimp tempura rice bowl, a small side of pickled vegetables, a dipping sauce with a small plate of green onions and wasabi. There were also leaves in my bowl of dipping sauce and I wasn't sure what they were. Maybe, shiso leaf? One thing that surprised me was that I could barely tell the difference between the seiro soba noodles and the zaru brown soba noodles. I was expecting the brown soba noodles to be…well…more brown, a nutty brown. Side by side, you can definitely see a brownish tinge to the brown soba noodles, but the color difference between the two soba noodles was definitely very subtle.

Before even starting, I had to be tutored to add some of the green onions and wasabi to the sauce and then dip the noodles into the sauce before slurping them into my mouth. At first taste, I enjoyed the flavors of the sauce that coated the surface of the noodles, which were firm and definitely to my liking. I also detected a hint of nuttiness which I liked, but what I was expecting was something bolder and earthier. What I got seemed more refined and subtle.

Being a soba noodle newbie, I have to say that my soba experience at Otafuku was a bit befuddling. There's certainly nothing wrong with refined and subtle. After all, I enjoyed my noodles to the last bite, but I do wonder if there are regional differences or just preferential differences in regards to how soba noodles are made. When I have seen soba noodles ordered elsewhere, they looked thicker and were also more beige or light brown in color. Compared to the soba brown noodles at Otafuku, those noodles seem more rustic and not as elegant looking.

Although I enjoyed my zaru noodles, I wouldn't consider it a mind blowing experience. In fact, I think I was more enamored with the tempura dishes than anything else. I left thinking that I definitely need to expand my horizons. I honestly have read about people making pilgrimages to Otafuku for their soba and the only way I'm going to understand why is to try other soba noodles in comparison. If anyone has any suggestions for places that serve great soba noodles, I'd love to hear about them.

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157602520001951/

Otafuku
16525 S Western Avenue
Gardena, CA 90247
(310) 532-9348

"South Bay's Taste of Japan" - Lunch at Spoon House

When on the lookout for Japanese dining, usually Little Tokyo comes to mind, but unbeknownst to many, the South Bay, primarily the city of Gardena is also home to one of LA's oldest Japanese communities. Presently, it's a city where the population is about one quarter Japanese-American.

What differentiates Gardena from Little Tokyo is that it's still a thriving community where Japanese-Americans work, live, play and eat. For example, Gardena has a Japanese cable station, numerous Japanese churches, stores and newspapers. It's really because of the high concentration of Japanese-Americans still living in cities like Gardena that they are able to maintain strong ties to tradition, especially to authentic Japanese cuisine.

As a part of a dining series that I called "South Bay's Taste of Japan", I set up outings for my dining group to explore some of the tastiest offerings to be found in cities like Gardena and Torrance. First on the list was the Spoon House, known for a style of Japanese cuisine called Yoshoku.

So what exactly is Yoshoku? Yoshoku refers to Western food, but with a Japanese twist. Over the centuries, a large number of Western dishes have been introduced to Japan. Many of them; however, became adapted to use more Japanese ingredients and these dishes are now called Yoshoku dishes. Check out a couple of examples below:

Korokke ("croquette") - breaded mashed potato and minced meat patties. When white source is added, it is called cream korokke. Other ingredients such as crab meat, shrimp, or mushrooms are also used instead of minced meat which are called kani-, ebi-, or kinoko-cream korokke, respectively.

Hamburg Steak - a ground beef patty, usually mixed with breadcrumbs and fried chopped onions, served with a side of white rice and vegetables. Popular post-war food item served at homes. Eaten with a fork.

So what does Spoon House have to do with Yoshoku cooking? Simply, Spoon House is a Japanese-Italian spaghetti house and believe me, you'll see spaghetti dishes there that you'd never expect to see coming out of any Italian Mama's kitchen. While you will see some standards like spaghetti Bolognese or spaghetti with clam sauce, there are definitely other menu items that may just surprise you. So with an adventurous palate, off we went.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, I liked the fact that there was an open kitchen. It was easy to see all the action. In a corner of the kitchen there was even an appliance that cooked the spaghetti in perfectly sized portions. Once you sat down, opening the menu was enough to set you in a tizzy of indecision.

There were 36 different types of spaghetti dishes to choose from. Our choices included spaghetti with tuna, daikon and lemon soy sauce and California style salad spaghetti which included ingredients like mayonnaise sauce, crab meat and avocado. Also available were spaghetti with sea urchin & seaweed and spaghetti that comes with natto & shiso leaf. Mama Mia!

It definitely took awhile for everyone to choose their entrée. I finally settled on the spaghetti with hot garlic, seasoned mushroom, grated daikon and dried fish flakes. As a starter, I also ordered the one dollar salad and yes, it did cost only $1.00.

Soon my spaghetti arrived and I must admit to being a bit disconcerted by its appearance. Red tomato sauce was replaced by a pile of fish flakes, dried seaweed and the rest of the ingredients, but hey, my taste buds were ready for action. So after mixing all the ingredients and noodles together, I took my first forkful.

Simply, I loved it. The sweet-hot-pungency of the garlic added a nice kick to the dish. Then you have the taste of the salty sea coming from the seaweed and fish flakes combined with the subtle earthiness from the mushrooms. As for the daikon, I honestly don't even remember tasting it, but it wasn't missed.

This was definitely a spaghetti dish unlike anything I've ever tried before. Most of my dining partners gave their spaghetti dishes thumbs up with a couple of exceptions. There's one thing to note. When you order spaghetti with sea urchin, don't expect your spaghetti to be topped with the uni. Instead, it's mixed into the sauce. The strong flavors that make uni so popular may be too subdued for your liking.

Also, someone in else in our party ordered the spaghetti with tomato sauce, eggplant and bacon and found it less than satisfactory. Perhaps, the Italian-style spaghetti dishes are still better left for your Italian Mama or a good Italian restaurant.

The real fun in eating at a restaurant like Spoon House is in introducing your palate to true fusion food. In this case, you get an Italian staple like spaghetti melded with Japanese ingredients like uni, fish flakes and even natto. Now that's something you definitely won't find at your local Olive Garden. So when you're in Gardena, stop by for a taste of Yoshoku cooking at the Spoon House. You may just find your new favorite cuisine!

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157603316456804/

Spoon House
1601 W Redondo Beach Blvd
Gardena, CA 90247
(310) 538-037

"Ramen Quartet" - A Tasting of 4 Different Restaurants

Latter part of last year, I organized my quarterly "Quartet" dining series for my group and this time around, we focused on checking out 4 Ramen restaurants from October to December. The four places we visited were Koraku, Hakata Ramen, Santouka Ramen and Daikokuya.

First up was Koraku in Little Tokyo. While strictly not a ramen house, what was interesting about Koraku was the sheer number and variety of ramen soups being offered. There was quite a list in the menu as well as special ramens being offered just for that day. For my order, I chose one of the specials called Sutamina Ramen, which had a shoyu (I think) broth and included garlic sprouts, ground pork, green onions and mushrooms.

If you were looking for something warm to ward off a cold day or night, I'd say this particular ramen would accomplish that just fine. It was a good solid dish, if not spectacular. There were certainly misses to it. I would have preferred firmer noodles. The broth was also a little too thin and there was a layer of oiliness towards the top of the broth that could have been lessened.

Also, I don't think ground meat really is a good choice for ramen or even soup in general. The ground pork in my ramen basically weighted itself to the bottom of the bowl. I almost forgot that it was there until I was half way done with my soup and finally started picking the meat up with my spoon. Even with all those cons, this ramen still had some good flavor coming from the garlic sprouts and green onions and that at least was satisfying. Would I come to Koraku again? Yes, if only to try out some of the other options on the menu. I just wouldn't order the Sutamina Ramen again.

From Koraku, we traversed all the way to Gardena to check out Hakata Ramen and it was certainly night and day. I'm a definite carnivore because I just loved the meatiness, porkiness of the Tonkotsu broth that came with my ramen. What I also really liked was being able to customize my ramen eating experience. Firm noodles? Check. Normal soup oil? Yes. Strong soup base? Definitely. At Koraku, I ate my ramen. At Hakata, I experienced my ramen. It was just that good. The broth was rich and hearty. I really felt like I was having meal vs. just soup. I also loved the spice factor of the spicy miso ball that I added to the broth and honestly, probably could have added another one for even more action.

Along with the soup, our group also sampled each other's various side dishes, which included the rice ball (more triangle actually), spam musubi, the mini gyoza and the grounded chicken bowl. I didn't really find anything that special about the gyoza or the chicken bowl. I found the rice ball moist and I liked how they weren't skimpy with mushrooms and carrots that were mixed with the rice. Being Filipino, I was raised on spam, so I definitely felt at home with the spam musubi. I definitely had a great meal there and am looking forward to a return visit.

The South Bay was certainly putting a lot of miles on my car because our next ramen outing was at Santouka in Torrance. I have to say that of all the ramens I tried in this dining series, the shio ramen that I had at Santouka surprised me the most. When researching the differences between all the different kinds of ramen broths, shio was described as being a clear, almost transparent chicken broth. The shio broth at Santouka was rich, milky looking and reminded me more of Tonkotsu (pork-bone) broth. Of course, when I got home and read through Chowhound postings again, there was a reference from "rameniac" stating that Santouka's shio broth was actually a shio-tonkotsu hybrid, so the Ah-ha came into play at that point.

But not having that reference handy, I worked through my surprise and proceeded to enjoy my shio ramen. While the noodles could have been firmer, the broth was fantastic. What I found interesting is that the hybrid version definitely had a cleaner and smoother taste to it, similar to a more traditional shio broth, but I also appreciated the tonkotsu's contribution of a richer, stockier soup. It was practically the best of both worlds. Along with the soup, I enjoyed both the leek rice and the egg that came with my set. The leeks added a nice hit of "green" flavor to the rice while I actually enjoyed the egg on its own without even adding it to my soup.

Finally, the "Quartet" ends at Daikokuya back in Little Tokyo. Daikokuya's claim to fame is that they only have one kind of broth for their ramen and that's the Tonkotsu broth. With having visited Hakata Ramen earlier in this dining series, I couldn't help but compare their version of Tonkotsu broth to that of Daikokuya. Both broths were rich in porky flavor, hearty and definitely mind-boggingly delicious, but there was a subtle difference between the two.

To my palate, the Hakata ramen was more refined. It's the part of James Bond that is sophisticated, cool under pressure, elegant. You can taste the porkiness of the broth but it wasn't completely in your face. Daikokuya, on the other hand, was that part of James Bond that was rough and tumble, aggressive and took no prisoners. The broth of Daikokuya's ramen was more intense, more meaty and definitely made its presence known, and just like Hakata Ramen, I did more than eat this soup, I lovingly savored it. Do I prefer one over the other? No. I really enjoy both. As mentioned earlier, I'm just a carnivore kind of girl. When choosing one over the other, it would depend on whether I wanted to dine with James in a tux or with him while he was interrogating someone.

Since I ordered a combo, I also had a salad and pork over rice with my ramen. I really liked the dressing that comes with the salad. It's a creamy citrus dressing that is a good balance between a little sweet and a little tart. The pork over rice was a miss. It was mostly just fat when I would have liked more meat.

Overall, this was a wonderful "Quartet." It was really fun exploring the world of ramen and its many differences, whether it's difference in broth or in how different restaurants cook and/or present them to their customers. Growing up on packaged ramen, it was only last year that I experienced real ramen when I first visited Daikokuya, so I'm definitely stoked that I was able to check out other wonderful options. My definite favorites were Daikokuya and Hakata with Santouka close behind and while I may not necessarily go out of my way to visit Koraku for ramen, at least, I know if I did, I won't be too disappointed.

Koraku Restaurant
314 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 687-4972

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594367236845/

Hakata Ramen
2015 W. Redondo Beach Blvd., #C
Gardena, CA, 90247
(310) 329-1335
http://www.shinsengumiusa.com/

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594395156529/

Santouka Ramen
21515 Western Avenue
Torrance, CA, 90501
(310) 212-1101

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594468325330/

Daikokuya
327 E 1st St
Los Angeles, CA, 90012
(213) 626-1680
http://www.daikoku-ten.com/dk_home.html

To see pics, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72157594468402395/