Kyushu Ramen- VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA

(See, it's in Kanji, not English)

Los Angelenos know that if they want to find the best places for Ramen (Japanese Noodles) that they can go to either Little Tokyo, West LA, or Gardena/Torrance. But what is the average Valley-ite to do when they crave these delicious noodles soaked in warm sumptuous broth. Look no further than Kyushu Ramen in Van Nuys. This is a restaurant located in a small mini-mall surrounded by a Japanese Video Shop, a Donut Shop, a Starbucks (of course), and an Italian Restaurant. It might be hard to locate as the main store signage is in Japanese. The Mini-mall sign though has it all in the good old-fashioned English alphabet.

Kyushu Ramen previously had a very unremarkable interior, which consisted of fold out tables and chairs in a stark all white room, with little if any decor. When it was like this you would be hard pressed not to believe that it was closing down or the owners didn't much care. It didn't even have a restaurant feel, but more of a cheap diner feel.

But recently with an interior remodel, it is all red wood paneling, and organic looking wood table tops and wood chairs. There is now a shared communal table/bar in the center. It truly does look like a Japanese restaurant now. It's actually a pretty cool place inside now.

I ordered the Shōyu ramen soup which has as soy based sauce added to the clear stock. I had the chicken topping with this ramen. The soup was warm and tasty, and the chicken pieces were nice, juicy and flavorful. Unfortunately there was not that many noodles in my ramen. Usually when I go to a ramen house it is loaded with noodles, but this dish had only a fair amount.

Shoyu Ramen

We had some Karaage on the side, which is fried chicken that is marinated in with soy sauce, garlic, ginger and then deep fried. The Karaage in this place is always good, and you get a decent amount and the chicken is always juicy and tender. This is probably my favorite place for Karaage. This crust was perfectly crisp with a nice crunch. If I have the chance next time, I'll order one for the restaurant and one to take home to snack on later.

We also had the fried rice, which is always a nice cheap side dish. There wasn't anything particularly special about this fried rice, but it is always so damn good, I end up bringing some home just to eat! I don't know what addictive drug they put in it, but I always end up eating inhuman amounts of this stuff!

(Mmmm... addictive fried rice.)

The service was kind of so-so, and toward the end of the meal we felt like we were being rushed. It could be that there was only a single server and the restaurant was already approaching packed levels that afternoon.

If you don't want to travel to downtown or the Southbay, and you want some decent Ramen Noodles in the SFV, try out Kyushu Ramen.

Kyushu Ramen
15355 Sherman Way
Van Nuys, CA 91408
(818)786-6005

Kylling at The Little Mermaid- SOLVANG, CALIFORNIA

Solvang

This past weekend, the Chicken Fried Family decided to drive up north for a mini-vacation. We stayed in Santa Barbara and on the final day of our trip we visited Solvang. Solvang is a small Danish community in Santa Barbara County. Within the community are a number of Danish shops, restaurants as well as many wine shops that provide wine tastings. It's also become quite the wine destination for wine lovers after being featured in the movie "Sideways"

After a good few hours of exploring Solvang and buying tchotchkes, we developed quite an appetite. We walked about a quarter of a mile from the town center to a small diner called, The Little Mermaid. Named after the Hans Christian Andersen story and not the Disney movie. I was really hankering for some of the Æbleskivers or aebleskiver which are spherical pancakes fried in a special pan and served with powdered sugar and jam. Well we arrived at The Little Mermaid at around 2:00pm, and they weren't serving it at that time.. :(

Kylling

I ended up ordering Kylling which is the Danish version of Fried Chicken. I didn't expect much from this dish, but was pleasantly surprised. What was on my plate were 4 pieces of fried chicken battered and fried. This was pretty good fried chicken! The crust was crispy and golden, and the chicken was served piping hot. Upon my first bite, I noticed how extremely juicy the chicken was, as well as noticing a sweetness to the brining that was used to prepare the chicken. I devoured it completely and was completely satisfied.

Next time you are in Solvang and want some quick and cheap eats, check out The Little Mermaid. I'm going there early next time so I won't miss out on the aebleskivers,..

The Little Mermaid
1546 Mission Dr
Solvang, CA 93463
Phone: (805) 688-6141

UPDATE- I hear that you can get some aebleskiver at the Northridge Farmer's Market from Arne's of Solvang. I'll be on the lookout this Spring for them..

Mariposa in Downtown Palm Springs- CALIFORNIA

On our way back from Palm Springs we decided to explore downtown, and grab some lunch. a restaurant next to a fountain in the plaza caught our eye, and that was Mariposa Palm Springs. Mariposa was voted as one of the best new restaurants in Palm Springs. It serves Mexican/Southwestern food. Instead of the usual tacos, burritos or tostadas, I decided to order one of their specialties which is Chipotle Fried Chicken. This dish starts off as a boneless chicken breast that is flattened like a shnitzel. It is then marinated in some citrus juice and coated with New Mexico flour and chipotle seasoning, and then fried in canola oil. This dish was something else. It tasted like a chicken fried steak with a twist. It was spicy and you could taste the chipotle but there wasn't any heat of the pepper just the flavor. The chicken breast was juicy and not dry at all, and the crust was a delicious batter that I could eat on its own if I could. In the meat you could taste a hint of citrus from the marinade. This was a great dish and I recommend you try it out. Mariposa is located in the center of downtown Palm Springs which has a number of shops and restaurants to keep you occupied. Give it a try if you are in the area.

Downtown @ Plaza Mercado / 155 S. Palm Canyon Drive

760 322 9654

11am-11pm | Daily