Tonkotsu Black Garlic Oil Ramen at Kaze, Berkeley USA

Kaze Black Garlic Oil Ramen
Pork Chashu, egg, black mushroom, bean sprout, scallions, dried seaweed

Kaze is a ramen restaurant located on Shattuck, Berkeley. I ordered their special "Kaze Black Garlic Oil Ramen." Broth base is a Tonkotsu creamy broth, ramen noodles are instant noodle. Chashu is good in texture but lacking flavor.

Tonkotsu Ramen at Izakaya Sozai, San Francisco USA

Tonkotsu ramen, soft pork belly in skewer, fried garlic chips, scallions

Izakaya Sozai is a small Japanese Yakitori bar/restaurant, so a long wait is inevitable. A good way to avoid long line is to go early right before they open or before restaurant is closed.. Other than small Japanese dishes and Yakitori, they only serve one type of ramen: Tonkotsu Ramen.

The broth is very thick and creamy that it already forms a layer of fat on the surface of the ramen. (It was a chilly night) I personally really like the broth; however the noodle is what disappointed me. It is just like the Korean instant noodle, which will get soggy quickly. Pork belly is soft inside, and a little harden on the outside.

Customized Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen at Shin-Sen-Gumi, Little Tokyo Los Anageles USA

Hakata Tonkotsu Ramen: Onsen Egg (Hot Spring Egg), Tonkotsu Slices, Scallions, Ginger, Garlic chips, and a little bit of spicy sauce.

Shin-Sen-Gumi is opened by Mitsuyasu Shigeta, who used to work in Hakata Japan. He opened his own Japanese restaurant with Hakata specialties: Yakitori, ramen, and many more. Today, there are multiple locations splattered around California. 

I tried out my first Shin-Sen-Gumi ramen in Little Tokyo Los Angeles. It was a 30-45 minutes wait for the Saturday dinner. How you order your ramen is through filling out a customized form. With this form, you can choose ramen thickness, toppings, broth, spices, and anything that you wanted to request extra.