What the World Needs Now is Tsukemen Porn. Dip Those Noods!
Tsukemen is a category of ramen also known as "dipping noodles." Pronounced "skeh-men", this type of noodling is my favorite because of the interaction between diner and noodles.
The server brings over two bowls: one with noodles and chasu pork, the other contains the thick porky tonkotsu broth for dipping the noodles.
Pull an Instagram-worthy portion of ramen out of the bowl with your chopsticks, then dunk those slurpy strands into the gravy-like broth, pull them out and devour your hefty noodles by simultaneously taking in a breath of air and slurping up the ramen. This is a noisy endeavor, but don't fret, everyone in the restaurant is doing it—like a choir of ramen heads.
Tsujita L.A. Artisan Noodle on Sawtelle is my favoritest of ramen spots to get my tsukemen slurp on. The 60-hour-brewed tonkotsu is unparalleled. I love the richness and depth of the soup (you can actually taste bone, it's been simmering so long). The broth's unctuousness is hearty enough to rumble against Tsujita's hunky cords of noodles. Any lesser broth wouldn't stick.
The pleasure of eating tsukemen is really in the worship of this sensual pair of ramen and tonkotsu. A glossy bowl of carefully coiled ramen made by the legendary Sun Noodle sits aside a murky brew of 60-hour pork bone soup. The soft-boiled ajitama egg and succulent slabs of chasu pork are delicious ornamentation that feeds the eyes before they do the mouth.
It all starts with raw, naked noods. Like everything else in life.
Tsujita L.A. Artisan Noodle
2057 Sawtelle Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA
Phone: 310.231.7373
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