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Ramen. Comfort.

Oh ramen, how I enjoy thee. Good ramen is hard to find. Package ramen ... well I will not talk about that because I believe there is someone who just reviews packaged ramen all the time. It's not bad but it is nothing compared to the authentic Japanese brew. Mmmm, tonkatsu ramen. My fatty favorite. There's some pretty good places but the most consistent amongst the other locations (in my opinion) is Shinsengumi. So busy and so good.
Never thought to get this at a ramen place because ... I do not know the reason but I guess I was just afraid it wouldn't be good. Takoyaki, what can I say about this octopus wheat ball? First off, the octopus is small and lacking. I can't blame them, hell I do not know the right wheat to octopus ratio but the piece of octopus in this was very small. Flavor was eh. Personally I would pass. The only good thing I would say about this is that the wheat ball is not dry. The technique put into this was good, they did not allow one side to get more fried than the other and made sure not to overcook the sucker.
I love trying new things of course and this tangy lemon thing seemed interesting enough to grab my attention. Again, technique good, moist chicken, flavor was a bit more on the citrus side. I did not enjoy pairing it with my ramen. Pass on this too please.
Crack spicy miso paste. YUM. I love putting this into my bowl of ramen. Shinsengumi you need to add all the sides for extra. There are a couple toppings that you get by default: egg, bean sprouts, green onion, pickled ginger, chasu. My Better Half enjoys getting seaweed and bamboo. If I did not know any better she's a reincarnation of a panda living in Japan. She enjoys her bamboo and sushi quite a bit.
Mmmmm. Tonkatsu Ramen. The cool thing about Shinsengumi is the ability to choose the firmness of your noodles, density/flavor of the broth, and level of oil (pretty much pork fat). Heavy broth is really salty. Light is okay. I prefer normal. So my usual order: tonkatsu ramen - firm noodles, normal broth, heavy oil with spicy miso. I tend to add about half of the miso paste and it adds quite a flavorful kick. The paste is usually good for a couple people unless you really love spicy. So back to the ramen, very good. Always cooked to order and they get it spot on all the time. I eat fairly similar t a hyena, extremely fast and cautious as if I feared a lion was creeping up on me. However, my friends tend to eat at a normal pace. There is nothing wrong with this but I did notice near the half end of my Better Half's bowl, the noodles seem to get a little bit on the soggy side. I would suggest getting firm noodles if you like a little chew to your carbs and even if you eat a bit slower because at about half time your noodles are going to transform into normal firmness. This place is good. I love straight ramen noodles. I love the fattiness pork essence from the broth. I love how the chasu falls apart when I pick it up with my chopsticks. The wait is a bit long but if you are in no hurry, come to this place, let the Japanese yell at your when you come in and exit the building so you can enjoy this piece of their culture. Although I do not have any pictures, try their desserts. They tend to be good. If not try anyways because I love balancing salty with sweet after a meal. Last thing, more traditional Japanese ramen places (like this one) do not allow to go orders.

Hakata Ramen Shin-sen-gumi
8450 E. Valley Blvd., Ste 103
Rosemead, CA 91770
626-572-8646
http://www.shinsengumigroup.com

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