Iki Ramen: An In-Depth Restaurant Review
EDITORS' PICK
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EDITORS' PICK -
There are many amazing Japanese food spots, especially in Los Angeles. But a truly great one is Iki Ramen, located at 740 S. Western Avenue #115 in Koreatown. There is another Iki Ramen location at 6565 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, but the Koreatown location has the best atmosphere. It’s a relatively small place that seats about 30 people at tables for two and four, and stools at a bar. Due to the quick and friendly service, cozy feel, and great food, it has become one of my favorite spots to enjoy a meal with family or friends. To give you a taste of the menu, I have reviewed a variety of selections from Iki Ramen.
One great hot dish is the Chicken Gyoza, which comes with six pieces for $7. It’s served on a small black dish with a side of ponzu sauce. The gyoza are deep-fried, so they have a great crunch, and the chicken is amazing and comes very hot in temperature (9/10).
One of my favorite dishes is the Crispy Rice Tuna. This hot dish comes with four pieces and is served with sweet shoyu and spicy mayo for $12. The rice is fried, so the outer layer is crunchy while the center is soft and sticky. The sauces have a great, tangy taste. The combination of soft fish, crunchy and soft rice, and the sauce makes for a great texture (10/10).
The next dish is the Black Cod Avocado for $12. It’s a hand roll with black cod, avocado, and rice, in soy paper with sesame seeds. It’s served with wasabi, ginger, and soy sauce. The black cod, avocado, and soy paper combine to yield a rich, buttery feel. There was a large amount of avocado, but overall the dish was very flavorful (8/10).
Iki Ramen also has a large selection of nigiri (two pieces come with each selection you make). I chose A5 wagyu beef, salmon, and tuna. The beef was $20, and the salmon and tuna were $8. It’s served on a wooden platter with wasabi and ginger. The beef was tough to chew, but it tasted amazing. All the ingredients were fresh, and the rice and fish tasted great (9/10).
My two favorite ramen dishes at Iki Ramen are the Shoyu Ramen and Vegan Spicy Miso Ramen, which are $20 each. The Shoyu Ramen comes with seasoned organic chicken broth, dashi pork chashu, a seasoned egg, menma, scallions, and nori. The chicken broth is salty and a bit bland, but the pork is great (7/10). The Vegan Spicy Miso Ramen comes with vegan noodles, vegan miso broth, organic tofu, veggie gyoza, arugula, wood ear mushroom, corn, and scallions. There are a ton of tasty noodles hidden under all the toppings. The dumplings are pretty good, but they fall apart when you try to eat them. The broth soaks into the tofu, enriching the taste. The spice level isn’t going to make you cry, but it’s definitely spicy (8.5/10).
For dessert, their $6 Yuzu Ice Cream is a great choice. The Yuzu Ice Cream comes with crunchy coconut sugar sprinkled on top. It tastes like a lemon tart with mint and an overall citrusy taste. The ice cream is very stretchy and smooth (8.5/10). Iki Ramen also serves Shio Koji Ice Cream for $6. It is a light tan color and comes topped with small puffed rice balls. It has a faint taste of salted caramel, like flan in ice cream form, but it is still a bit bland. Just like the Yuzu ice cream, it is stretchy and smooth. If you are looking for a mild flavor, this is for you (6/10).
Iki Ramen is a great restaurant. Overall, the food is an 8/10 for the fresh ingredients, great textures, and amazing taste. The service is a 10/10, because the food comes in minutes, and the employees are very kind. And the atmosphere is a 9/10 because of the music, mood lighting, and general cozy vibe. Hours for their two locations can be found here.