Revamp of Ramen Champ with stops for Dessert and Coffee

 I attended Ramen Champ's Grand Opening back in January 2015

and now back again for another opening?  

OK, a couple other times too, 

but who's counting, right?

Let me explain why another opening.

Chef / owner Alvin Cailan of Eggslut opened this ramen outlet

in January.  Although he'll still be a part of Ramen Champ, the

new team is lead by Yoshimasa Kasai.  You may have heard of

him as the former director of Ramen Yokocho. 

Revamp Ramen Champ opens on October 2nd!

Read my first visit to Ramen Champ HERE

 The restaurant is located on the 2nd floor of the Far East Plaza,

home to Roy Choi's Chego and Andy Ricker's Pok Pok Phat Thai.  

The space reminds me of ramen shops in Japan,

small spaces with open kitchens and all counter seating.

 Since this was the first day of a media preview,

the menu was limited with 3 different kinds of ramen offered.

 I was a bit more interested in the sides,

since I was a fan of Ramen Champ's

mushrooms, which was not on this menu.

OK, so we ordered one of each of the evenings offerings, 

since there was 3 of us.

See What Jay Eats...

 Tonkotsu Tan Tan

A spicy twist on the original Ramen Champ's

tonkotsu broth and served with Komasuna greens,

roasted sesame, chili and hot-meat sauce seasoned with 

Sichuan peppercorns and garlic.  The noodles were

thicker than the original broth.

At first I didn't think it was that spicy, but once

mixed, it had some heat.  It wasn't a kick you off 

your seat, but there was enough heat to be a tan tan.

 Vegan Ramen

An aromatic consomme made with kelp,

shiitake mushrooms, onions, carrots, cabbage,

green onions, garlic and ginger.  Served with a spinach

ramen noodle.

This was the surprise of the evening.

When I usually hear vegan or vegetarian,

it usually means not good.  This was also

our favorite of the evening.

Original Tonkotsu

Topped with slow cooked chat, mushrooms, green onions,

and black sesame oil.  The noodles are thin,

my favorite, but do work well with the tonkotsu broth.

This time, it had more flavor than my 1st visit.

With food writer, Kristie Hang and Jeff Shimamoto,

owner of Ramen Burger LA.

"Please, sir, may I have some more"

~Oliver Twist

Thank you Ramen Champ for the preview

and look forward to coming back again.

Once ramen was done, it was time to go downstairs

and checkout the other food vendors,

such as Chego and Pok Pok Phat Thai.

 It was time for dessert, we headed to Scoops Ice Cream.

I got the Strawberry Mint,

nice flavor.

While we were enjoying our cones,

we were informed that we liked coffee,

we needed to go next door.

We're game!

 We entered the door to see a U shaped counter

at Endorffeine.

Jack creating one of their signature beverages.

 I opted for the Palm Sugar - Whiskey iced latte.

A really good latte!

Vanilla - Pandan iced latte

Lots happening in Chinatown these days,

checkout the revamped Ramen Champ,

ice cream at Scoops, and coffee at

Endorffeine.  Stay tuned for more...

It was a good night with good friends...

Far East Plaza

727 N Broadway

Los Angeles, CA 90012

(underground parking available)

NOTE:  I was a guest of Ramen Champ

and I thank them for the invitation and hospitality.

All comments and opinions are strictly my own.

Photos by Jay Terauchi

Jay Eats Worldwide

©Jay Terauchi