In the sloping-forehead, knuckle-dragging days of this blog’s early history, I wrote about Ramentown, USA. Within a quarter mile of the intersection of Bristol and Baker Streets lay no less than five shops serving various styles of authentic Japanese ramen. The best of those, Dadami, brewed a rich, white broth made from pork bones, and with it, made the best Japanese curry that ever was. Sadly, they closed up under mysterious circumstances. I went through the seven stages of grief, although I didn’t recognize it at the time.

During the Guilt and Anger stages, Harvest Yakitori took over that location, but I couldn’t bear to walk into the same space occupied by other people who didn’t serve that special ramen, nor that curry. Not that I wished it upon them, but they closed less than a year later.

Acceptance has now settled in, and I wish the owners of Ramen House Mentatsu better luck in that cursed location. It’s an obscure location in the shadow of a Wahoo’s Fish Taco store.

I left my visit yesterday with a mixed first impression of the food. The broth, though made from pork bones, is not the unctious, fat-and-marrow rich tonkotsu style I prefer, but a clear, light style called “assari” in Japanese. To this broth, shoyu, salt, or miso is added to make the final soup in which the ramen noodles are served. I tried the Shio Butter ramen because the pat of butter melts atop the soup and makes an adequate substitute for the lard slick of my favored tonkotsu soup.

Several pallid slices of chashu (roast pork) lay on top. At first glance, the meaty slices look attractive, but a bite of the tough meat instantly reveals these are cut from lean pork loin. Pork shoulder is better suited for the job. Pork loin’s tender if it’s cooked quickly, but seizes up tougher than a wild boar in rigor mortis if it’s overcooked.

I give credit to a shop that makes their own shumai in addition to gyoza. Most ramen specialists don’t do shumai, so props for them expanding the menu to include them. But the steamed dumplings are a bit large to eat gracefullly, rather like an unsalted plug of ground pork in a wonton wrapper.

Similar sentiments for the gyoza. While cooked skillfully, the fillings tasted vaguely of nira (Japanese garlic chives) and garlic, but lacked depth. An A for effort on both of these items, but a C+ on execution.

Ramen shops stake their reputation on the quality of three things: the soup, the chashu, and their gyoza. The soup here is good representation of the assari style, and fans of that style will probably like it. The chashu is inexcusably tough, and the gyoza is passable at best.

Soup: A
Ramen considered as a whole dish: B+
Chashu: D
Gyoza: C+
Shumai: C+

Maybe I’m still bitter over the loss of Dadami, and have high expectations of anyone that takes over that space. I’m willing to go back and give Mentatsu more chances mainly because they have a broad menu and they’re open for dinner until 1 am. Call me an optimist, but surely on that large menu there’s a pearl in the oyster?

Ramen House Mentatsu
688 Baker St #7
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
714-979-2755
Open for lunch and dinner