It was a slow-moving Saturday, and nothing was going according to schedule (car troubles, late start, slightly hung over), so of course I was crabby and wanted comfort food. Luckily, snookerst had recommended I go try Tamaya in Alhambra, which she described as “not the best decor, but good noodles.”
Perfect.
I admit I was greatly disappointed that Tamaya did not serve beer. It was one those relentlessly sunny LA days, and that would have lifted my mood. Also, partway through eating the tonkotsu ramen, I really started craving beer to cut through the salt, fat and MSG. At least the pickled ginger helped a bit.
As you can see, I loaded that sucker up:
char siu pork – tender, falling apart fatty goodness
menma (bamboo shoots) – meaty, almost mushroom-like
wakame (seaweed) – one of my favorite umami foods with great biting texture
green onions – I like most stinky strong foods
The broth had a lot going on in it and just the right amount of fat and oil. Very satisfying. As noted above, however, that strange smoothness that MSG brings was getting to me after a while, so I added some spice and vinegar, which helped a bit.
I wonder if all this healthy LA eating has lowered my MSG tolerance. Nah. I still love to eat the Neoguri Udon Spicy Seafood, which I imagine is swimming with MSG. Anyway, as you can see, I didn’t finish the broth, which is sort of disappointing. I got a good, drool-inducing nap out of this though.
One rant: Since I was denied beer, I treated myself to a Ramune but was horrified to find that this was fake Ramune. How did I know? It had high fructose corn syrup in it, not cane sugar! Blasphemy! I might as well have ordered a damn Sprite if I knew that’s what I would have been getting. I’m not that taken with novelty to want a fake Ramune just so I can release the marble.
Overall, it was a good meal, but just like with pho, I want to love the broth enough to put that bowl up to my mouth and drink it down. Considering the price though, I wouldn’t turn my nose up at eating there again. I may check out a few places closer to me though.
Tamaya
645 E Main St
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 458-8388
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Ramen in Alhambra? I just may have to check this place out the next time a craving hits. It’s quite close to my abode
Ha! Little Tokyo is nearer to me, so I’ll probably jaunt there for more ramen soon. Noodles are so addictive!