"Food Wars" hosts Harry Kersh and Joe Avella travel across Los Angeles to find the best ramen in the city. They'll be visiting four locations in just one day to see what the city has to offer. This is "Food Tours."
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00:00I'm taking you to four of the best ramen spots in Los Angeles starting here at
00:04Ramen Nagi. Behold, the menu. We're definitely gonna be getting the original
00:09king, right? That's like the chef's signature dish, okay? And even though we
00:14have a bunch of really fun ones, I want to try the Lamb King because personally
00:18I had a lot of ramen in my days. I haven't had any lambs. Yeah, I don't think I have
00:21either. And it's exclusive to this location. You like ramen? I love ramen. I
00:25feel like noodles in some kind of broth are like a universal love language food.
00:30I love them so much. I'm very excited for today. Fantastic. We're eating like kings
00:33and I'm ready to order our first bowl of ramen. You ready? Very much so. Let's go.
00:36Holy moly. A couple of dudes splitting a bowl of ramen. These look amazing. First
00:42things first, bib up. Bib and bib, sorry. I mean, oh, this is like a quality bib, right?
00:47Mm-hmm. This is like, yeah. Beautiful. Okay. Well, I now feel much more prepared to eat some
00:52delicious ramen. So yours is pork-free. Mm-hmm. I believe that's a Nagi style
00:57falafel right there. Ooh. And you got slices of lamb. And this one, I mean, already look at
01:01these little tiny little noodle guys I got here. I can't tell you how this looks. I'm
01:04excited about this. Let's go. Oh, sensational. This is so fantastic. I'm gonna get a little bit of
01:15this broth in here too. Oh, man. I've never had lamb in ramen before or like a lamb-based broth.
01:21That's absolutely fantastic. Is it? I'm gonna try some. It's pork. The quality of the meat itself
01:25is ridiculous. It's like some of the best roast lamb I've ever had. And then it's just sat in
01:29this delicious bowl of noodles and broth. Like this original king. It's like the flagship bowl,
01:35like the one. And it is amazing. I don't know what I would have done differently. I'm glad I went
01:40with the chef's recommendation because I would have 100% screwed this up. Yeah, you're not thinking
01:46like, ooh, I wish this had more salt in it or more oil in it or anything. Let me get a quick
01:51bite of the falafel before I hand this over to you. Yeah, yeah. And I highly recommend isolating
01:55the broth. Mmm. Mmm. So good. I think your mind's about to be blown, my guy. Yeah. I mean,
02:04you've never had lamb ramen either, have you? I don't think so. Uh-huh. Oh, laffle sticks. Come on,
02:09dude. My bad. All right, first things first. Let's try this lamb. I'm excited for the original. This is a lot
02:13more like familiar to me in terms of what I expect from ramen. Like a nice porky tonkotsu broth.
02:19You didn't even get the meat. Yeah. Oh, man. Oh, wow. Well, I love this. Can I just say,
02:27we're at spot one. I think this is already the best ramen I've ever had. Wow, really? We have
02:32obviously got ramen places in the UK, but right now, none of them are kind of coming close to this
02:38in my mind. This is so tasty. The broth is so creamy, right? Yeah. It's got a real richness to
02:44it. It's a tonkotsu broth simmering for 24 hours. You can definitely taste it. I guess when you're
02:50cooking it for that long, you're really like rendering all the fat, all that collagen out
02:53of the bones, and it lends itself to this like incredible texture and depth of flavor. I mean,
02:56it's no surprise that ramen nagi has like 40 locations worldwide. By the way, this is the OG spot,
03:02and the fact that there is a thing set up for people to line up or queue to eat here. Yes.
03:09Yeah, it should tell you something. We came at like opening on a Monday morning. Yeah. And it's
03:13already quite busy. I imagine on a weekend, people are lining up around the block for this. Just call
03:18attention to the noodles specifically. So they're all house-made, right? Oh, yeah. That's really
03:22impressive. I love the texture of these. They're thin, but they have a real bite to them. Even when
03:26they've sat in the broth for a little while, they're really holding that kind of like slight gentle
03:29firmness to them. Yeah. I personally think that's like the best texture for noodles. I agree. I
03:34think thinner is better for this type of ramen. I might be proven wrong later today. We'll see.
03:39Right now, I'm going into this thinking like the thinner, the better, which reminds me. I'm going
03:43to talk about a criteria for today. So right away, for me, noodles, I like them more on the thin side,
03:48but either way, they have to be like maximum slurpability. I actually don't have a strong
03:52preference when it comes to like the thinness or the thickness of a noodle, but I think whichever
03:56noodle they're using just has to suit the dish. I think if it's going to be a thicker noodle,
03:59then I want that sauce to be a bit thicker, so it really clings to it as well. Broth, reducing it
04:03down to the long simmer, I think is the key to making the broth really good. Yeah, super flavorful,
04:08not overly salty or oily. It's a fine line because you do want that like saltiness and that oiliness,
04:12but too much of that can be a bit unpleasant. Yeah, everything's got to be delicious and work
04:16together, but what I love about ramen is it's going to taste different every single bite. Yes,
04:19it's almost hard for me to overstate how blown away by this I am. I could quite easily sit here and finish
04:25this whole bowl. I have so many more things to show you. I'll save some room. Here we go. Yeah,
04:29let's go. Slurping. Slurping noodles isn't rude. It's actually expected. I saw in an episode of
04:36Somebody Feed Phil or Give Phil Food, whatever it was called when it first started, that actually the
04:42slurping, you're actually sucking in air with the food and that's actually part of like unlocking and
04:47waking up the flavor. So you are actually supposed to slurp it to get the full flavor from your bite.
04:52That makes sense. Like have you seen when sommeliers do like a wine tasting, they do like quite a bit
04:56of a slurp as well. You're kind of like aerating the juices in your mouth. You got to let it breathe.
05:00Mm-hmm. Yeah, you can see the legs on your ramen. All right, man. Oh boy. Ready for some more ramen?
05:06Hope you like eating. Yeah. I very much do. All right. The next spot,
05:11Giudita Artisanal Noodles Los Angeles. Here we are. They have several locations in and around the West LA area.
05:18This is the flagship spot. The original right here. Yeah. We get so many great ramen things,
05:23but I want to make sure we get the Sukumin ramen. Different from the other ramens we're getting
05:27today because this is a dippable one. Have you ever dipped your ramen before? Not, no. Usually for me,
05:31it comes in the sauce. That's not the case. It's yesterday's meal. You get a big bowl of noodles,
05:35a big bowl of rich, creamy, flavor-condensed broth on the side. Boom, bam, boom, bam, boom.
05:41Ramen, some assembly required. Yeah, yeah. That's right. That's right. Sounds great. So we're going to get a
05:46dipping one. Maybe you get just a classic kind of like konkotsu as well. Yeah, we'll get a konkotsu
05:49as well. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, cool. FaceTime for comparison. Yeah. Feast your eyes in the ramen
05:53rules. I've never had ramen that came with instructions before. There you go. But apparently
05:57with Sukumin. Food goes in mouth. Uh-huh. All right. So here's you go. You're going to take your
06:00noodles. From the bowl. And you're going to dip it. Boop. To there. To there. Then spray it in. Also,
06:06they have lime. Yes. I've not had a ton of lime with my ramen before. That seems kind of unique. So there's two
06:11reasons. One, it's preventing the noodles from sticking together. And also, it helps balance out the
06:16very rich flavor of the broth. That makes sense. Oh, that was quick. Yeah, you know. Waiting. We
06:21ordered like... I'll be right back. Sure, sure, sure, sure. That was extremely fast. Yeah, were we
06:26waiting? So first things first, man. Lime up them noodles. He said the lime was good with it. And I'm
06:31inclined to believe. Yeah, I think he knows what he's talking about. This looks very good. Very, like,
06:36a very beautiful bowl of ramen, this. Very, like, picturesque bowl of ramen. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They definitely did
06:40everything here. So what I'm going to suggest is getting a really good pinch of noodles first.
06:46Then you go to the dipping station. I want you to note in those at home watching that this broth,
06:52this dipping noodle broth, is much thicker than if it was an assembled bowl of ramen.
06:58I'm going in.
07:04You feel like the rich seafood flavor to it? Can you taste that? Come on. Oh, man. Come on.
07:10Mm-hmm. I want to go just a little bit of the pork. Oh, yeah. Look how thick this is. It's like mushroom in
07:16there. Definitely getting that like umami seafood kind of like dried fish flavor. That's so rich and savory.
07:22It's a cold noodle, which is like interesting. But I think obviously it picks up some warmth from the broth
07:27that you're dipping it into. I think that's the idea. I think the idea is that if it's cold, the sauce is
07:32going to bond to it better than if it was hot. Yeah, man. And that way, you can do something like this.
07:37It's ready to be dipped. Mm-hmm. Oh, man. The mushroom in that broth is really doing it for me. Yeah.
07:47It's another layer of flavor. Got that like nuttiness to it. Yeah. It's a thicker noodle,
07:53which I think is a good choice for this because you're making sure that you have a lot of surface
07:57area for that sauce to cling to as well. Yeah. You can see here they are using the thinner noodle in
08:02the tonkotsu. Yeah. Because obviously it's going to sit in the sauce. It's going to absorb more.
08:05Oh, man. Have you tried the toppings? Get some of this pork. Yes, I have. I have. The pork is beautiful.
08:11I got like a, it's not like rice wine flavor. Also, hello. Look how thick this is.
08:15Slab of pork. They're really hooking with the pork here. All right. I mean,
08:19they also provide in here hard boiled egg. Mm-hmm. All right.
08:25Have you ever tried to make like a jammy ramen egg like this? No, I haven't. If I've done it,
08:30it's been an accident. Yeah, I have and I mess it up every time. Oh, wait.
08:33I'm sorry. I took a ramen making course and we did this. Oh, fun.
08:36And yeah, I did totally screw it up. I mean, you said they're simmering this broth for like
08:40hours, right? Ten hours. Ten hours. This broth is simmering. You can tell because the flavor's just
08:46on point. Very unique experience. I've never had an experience with ramen like this before.
08:51Sukumen style. I'm loving it. It's like this version dates back like the 1950s. So it's newer and it's
08:58definitely not as common in ramen places. Mm-hmm. For me though, this is your main lining flavor.
09:04Yeah. You really are just getting the best flavors of everything in one bite.
09:08She did bring over this takana. Spicy takana. Now, I want to point out,
09:12graphically, it is on fire and being put in the entire bowl. It looks like a meteorite is landing
09:17in the bowl. So do you want to eventually taint your entire broth? I think so.
09:21Point and overturn? Okay, go for it. Yeah, screw it. It's going in there.
09:24You go first. I'm going to do a very little. It was said that this could help to cut the seafood
09:29flavor because it does have a very seafoody flavored broth. It's not unlike your Greg's steak bake.
09:36The Greg's steak bake. I still can't believe you thought Greg's tasted like fish.
09:39Yeah, well, it tastes this. It just tastes like a Greg's steak bake. Steak bake. Steak bake.
09:48All right, so you just did like a little bit of spicy. I went quite big on the spicy.
09:51Yeah, I'm not really getting it. I'm not really getting it. I think that was a good amount that I added.
09:54We'll see how this goes.
09:57I am absolutely making an absolute mess. What do you think, buddy boy?
10:02That's good, man. Definitely some heat to it, but I didn't think I went too crazy.
10:07I'm going to try the tonkatsu just as a little comparison.
10:10Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Good idea. Let's get in here. I'm going to get a little bit into it.
10:14Yeah. It's a classic. It's the kind of thinner noodles again.
10:21Hmm. How can I explain this? Thoughts? It's fantastic. It is a thing of beauty. It's a work of art.
10:28It's screaming. Use whichever one you want there. You know, I'm going to say it is as good,
10:33but how do I describe the difference? This is like a richer, full-bodied flavor.
10:39Not as strong, not as pronounced, but fuller. And then the dip in the Sukumin is like straight to the dough.
10:48Yeah, I don't know. It's really hard, actually. I think I probably do slightly prefer the Sukumin.
10:54They're both so good, though. Yeah, they're both fantastic. I would love to sit here and finish
10:58this entire table of ramen. But I'm starting to flag, so that means we have two more places to go.
11:04Both of them in a little neighborhood called Little Tokyo, which I think you're really going to find
11:08charming. Sounds great. Ready to go? Yes, sir. Let's do it.
11:11So this is Little Tokyo? Yes, not to be confused with the big one. That's in Japan.
11:15Gotcha. That makes sense. Cool neighborhood, though. I like it right here.
11:18Yeah, that's really cool. Have you ever been to regular Tokyo?
11:21I've not, no, have you? Yeah, it's fantastic. Love it. Maybe the best city in the world.
11:25I absolutely love it there. It's very high up on my travel list right now.
11:27It's great. It's really fantastic. I mean, come on, where else are you going to get a Sanrio store?
11:31All your Hello Kitty needs and Gudetama. Shout out to my boy Gudetama.
11:34I may have to pop in and get some Gudetama much later. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:37I feel like, culturally speaking, Japan has given me some of my favorite things,
11:40like Nintendo, Pokemon. Some real big hitters there. Next spot, buddy with the Shinsengumi
11:47Hakata Ramen in Little Tokyo. With this place, we can do fully customizable bowls.
11:53I was looking at the menu. Look at all these customization options.
11:55I know. Is that crazy? That is an absurd number of them.
11:57I know you were saying that sometimes you get choice paralysis.
11:59Yeah, overall. How are you feeling right now?
12:01I'm feeling I'm going to point to the thing and go give me this one.
12:03I want to point out that it is Hakata-style ramen. It technically is a Timkansu ramen.
12:10How it began is considered the style of it, even from the Hokka-tu district of Fukawa, Japan.
12:17Good effort with the pronunciations there. You're learning. You're getting there.
12:20All right. The broth. It's a rich, creamy, white broth made from pork backbones, also full pork heads.
12:26Full heads. Not the first time, weirdly, that we've eaten whole pork heads on this show.
12:30I know. Yeah.
12:31They're making a habit of that.
12:32But here they simmer it for hours. They hand make the broth over days.
12:38So this broth dialed in. All right, the noodles. They're thin. They're white. They're firm.
12:44They're like the meat of noodles.
12:45Gotcha.
12:46Also, they are made from a high protein flour, egg whites, salt kensui, which is an alkaline solution
12:52that tightens the gluten and makes the noodles boing-oing-oing-oing-oing-oing-oing-oing-oing-oing-oing.
12:56Hey. Firm, elastic, juicy noodles.
12:59That's right.
13:00Sounds right up my screen.
13:01Stuff these noodles in a mattress. Good night.
13:04All right. In that piece de resistance, wrong country.
13:08For this, we're going to get the chasu pork.
13:11We have had it in other places, but here, they're maybe doing it the best.
13:14I think when it comes to ramen pork, and I guess chasu pork particularly, is kind of what I want in
13:19there in terms of meat. I just like, I do think it's really hard to beat.
13:22Are you ready to order?
13:24So based on your description, I feel like we should get the Hakata Tonkotsu ramen.
13:27Yes. I also want to try the spicy Dan Dan Men ramen. I'm not trying to be a tough guy with the spice.
13:32Can we go easy on the spice?
13:33There's only one little fire emoji next to it there.
13:36Well, hang on a second.
13:37Compared to the Diablo sauce edition, which has five fire emojis.
13:42Yo, look at that. That's too small to pick up.
13:44It's five. Oh my God.
13:46All right. Yeah. I think a bowl of each of those is going to be good.
13:50Sounds great.
13:53Let's taste and then we'll talk.
13:54Yes. So you have the classic Hakata.
13:56Yes, sir.
13:57I have the spicy Dan Dan.
13:58I have the creamy white broth.
14:06Oh, baby.
14:09Yes. Yes.
14:16Oh my God. The pork. Don't let the thin slices fool you.
14:23Pack with flavor.
14:23Oh, man.
14:24This broth. I see now it's been simmering for over 10 hours and all those pork parts,
14:31head included, is all in here, man.
14:34Not to get too scientific on you, but when you boil parts of an animal that have a lot of bone
14:39or a lot of cartilage, there's a lot of like collagen in the skin now.
14:43Okay.
14:43And these other compounds.
14:44Yeah.
14:45And they only really come out when you boil them for a very long time.
14:48Is that right?
14:48Yeah. And these things lend a like a lot of depth of flavor,
14:52but also some kind of thickness, like a thickening effect as well.
14:56Okay.
14:56And they're just like really good for you, actually.
14:58There's a lot of like positive health effects from having collagen, so.
15:01If you just go straight broth.
15:02Mm-hmm.
15:03You're good.
15:04As thin of a broth as it is, it still somehow like has,
15:07it retains like this creaminess to it that I really like.
15:10I'm also very much enjoying this spicy Dan Dan.
15:12How spicy is it?
15:13Not too bad.
15:14Like for me, pretty perfect level.
15:16Like you feel it for sure, but in a very pleasant, flavorful way.
15:19Mm-hmm.
15:20Do you want to switch?
15:22I would.
15:22Yeah.
15:23Okay.
15:23Should we do that?
15:24Once again, the side of this bowl is very hot.
15:25The old switcheroo.
15:26Yeah.
15:27The ginger that I'm getting out of this one?
15:39Uh-huh.
15:40Whoa-ho.
15:41Really like tingling on your tongue, right?
15:43Oh, wow.
15:43The heat and the ginger.
15:44Yeah, it's fantastic.
15:45Get some pork in there.
15:48I would put this at the one flame spice level.
15:51Yeah, one or two.
15:54Did you eat all the pork in this?
15:55It's like minced.
15:56Oh, I see.
15:58Mm-hmm.
15:58Okay.
16:00Oh, man.
16:03How tender is the pork, by the way?
16:04Mm-hmm.
16:05We did have some bonus pork, if you want to add more.
16:08That's what I'm saying.
16:08Might chuck a little bit of extra in there.
16:10Let's just dip it.
16:12This ramen really walks this fine line of being light and flavorful.
16:16Mm-hmm.
16:16Not that, you know, nothing's like impossible, but.
16:18Yeah.
16:19The dipping ramen packs so much flavor because it's so dense.
16:21This, I would argue, is packing as much flavor.
16:24It's a lot lighter.
16:25I feel like I could eat this a lot quicker than I could some of the previous ramens we've had.
16:30So, look, they're all about customization here, and I didn't get a customized bowl.
16:33It kind of got what they wanted.
16:35Mm-hmm.
16:35I mean this.
16:36I could not imagine adding something else to this.
16:38No.
16:38I mean, it's cool they got chili oil and soy sauce on the table, but I don't think it needs it.
16:43I think this is a perfect bowl of ramen, straight up.
16:46Onto the next spot?
16:47Yeah, this was great, but I got room for more.
16:48Great, let's go.
16:50Hey, you got a little mirror over there.
16:51I like the, uh...
16:52Lighting candles?
16:53I like the little girl with the giant mochi hammer.
16:55Where?
16:57Just smash that tower.
17:01Got room for one more?
17:02Yes.
17:03It says wait to be seated, but I ain't waiting.
17:05Let's go.
17:06Let's go straight in, buddy.
17:09All right.
17:09We are here at the legendary Daikokuya in Little Tokyo.
17:15Old school place.
17:15Yes.
17:16Real heads know that this is the spot.
17:18I've not been to Japan.
17:19You said you have.
17:20I sure have.
17:21Is this kind of like what I imagine like an actual Japanese Tokyo ramen bar might feel like?
17:25Is that kind of what it looks for you?
17:26Yeah, absolutely.
17:27Yeah, like the bar that's like right up here where you could sit around.
17:30Quaint, welcoming, stuff all over the walls.
17:33Yeah.
17:34Nice, right?
17:34Yeah, really cool.
17:35We'll be getting their signature bowl with the tonkansu broth and the spicy miso.
17:40Once again, standard bowl.
17:41Some a little spicy, a little hot.
17:43Yeah.
17:43It is the last stop of the day, so if you want to go extra spicy.
17:47The shackles are off.
17:47The shackles are off.
17:49Let's get that ramen.
17:50We've been eating ramen all day and this has hit the table and I'm immediately excited to eat it again.
17:54Yeah, no kidding.
17:55This looks real good.
17:56Look at the steam coming off this.
17:57One of the many things they're known for, they're springy noodles.
17:59It's thin springy noodles.
18:00Look at that.
18:01All right, I'm going in for a bite.
18:01It must be.
18:05They're slurping.
18:11Yes.
18:12Yes.
18:14Oh, fill my soul.
18:15All right, let me get some of this pork out of here.
18:19It's got that signature kind of swirl on the pork belly that I have.
18:22Yeah, really good, right?
18:24In a bowl of already rich flavors, the pork itself really stands out.
18:29I don't want to hog all the pork in mind.
18:30You have some of yours as well?
18:31I've got it, yeah.
18:32We're good for pork.
18:33We're fine.
18:33Okay.
18:34One thing I like about this is actually there's a bit of texture variety as well.
18:37You've got the bean sprouts, you've got the bamboo.
18:40Kind of provides just another sensory level to this dish that we haven't had in many of the ramas
18:44that we've had today.
18:45Mm-hmm.
18:46The eggs, soaked overnight, buddy.
18:48Ooh.
18:48Soaked overnight.
18:50Again, look at that.
18:51Perfect jammy.
18:52Oh, man.
18:53I will say of the sort of like tonkotsus that we've had today,
18:56this might be the most decadent broth.
18:59The one that I'm trying right now, you can taste that real rich fattiness to it.
19:03Do you want to swap and try the classic?
19:05Yeah.
19:07Swat on the ground?
19:08Got it.
19:10Have a taste and I will grill you a bit more.
19:17That's that broth.
19:19See what I mean?
19:20See what I mean?
19:20I've been here several times and every time I have it, it hits and I'm like, oh, right.
19:25This is what everyone's waiting in line for out in front.
19:29That is kind of spicy, but in a kind of very floral, fragrant way.
19:33Sure.
19:34Get a little of the sesame.
19:36Add some of this pork as well.
19:38Oh, this is so good.
19:40I love ramen.
19:41Yeah, I think, I think with this bowl specifically,
19:44what's really jumping out at me is how, although the flavors are really complex,
19:48they all kind of come together.
19:49Like it's crucial to get the noodle and the pork and obviously the broth all in one bite,
19:53because everything separately is like perfect.
19:56And then together, it's just, it takes it to another level.
19:59I can't even explain.
20:00I mean, we've been eating ramen all day.
20:02And dude, I just want to drink all this broth.
20:05The broth here is made from simmering pork bones and back fat with garlic, pickled ginger,
20:11and eel.
20:13Eel, dude.
20:14It does have that kind of umami, like dried fish savoriness to it.
20:18Yeah.
20:19So it does make sense.
20:19I'm glad you mentioned that.
20:20I am tasting that now that I know that.
20:22But the Sukumen was a more seafood flavored broth.
20:29Yeah, it was more pronounced in the Sukumen.
20:31Yeah, pronounced.
20:32You're like, ah, it's a seafood broth, which I'm a huge fan of.
20:34But this, it's an element of it.
20:37But I wouldn't have tasted this and gone, ah, yes, eel or seafood.
20:40100% no.
20:40You know.
20:41It's just like, yeah.
20:42It's in a similar way when you work like anchovies into a pasta sauce.
20:45Mmm, interesting.
20:46It doesn't end up tasting fishy, but it just adds that kind of layer of, yeah, umami flavor.
20:51I love the word umami.
20:52Great word.
20:52Of the two, I think I probably do prefer the kind of classic daikokuya tonkatsu.
20:56I think for this one, yeah.
20:58This is still really good.
20:59That one definitely just has that kind of like indulgent, rich feel to it.
21:02You can see why for ramen enthusiasts, this is like considered like one of the cornerstone spots to visit.
21:07Big portion here.
21:09I will say, particularly with the kind of richness of that broth, this is much more of a hearty meal
21:14than some of the other noodle dishes that we've had today.
21:16I'm loving it.
21:17I have black garlic oil here as well.
21:19Yes, thank you.
21:19Oh, thank you.
21:19Put that in.
21:20And a spicy miso bomb.
21:21Oh, amazing.
21:22All the miso paste makes it super spicy.
21:24Ooh, thank you.
21:25Should I do this?
21:27Yeah, do it.
21:28Oh yeah.
21:28Have you had black garlic before?
21:29It's very tasty.
21:31So I know garlic.
21:32Yes.
21:32So it's a black garlic.
21:34It's regular garlic that's fermented.
21:36That's what I'm wondering.
21:37It's really good.
21:39Good?
21:40Good stuff?
21:40Black garlic, baby.
21:42Yeah.
21:42That's very good.
21:44Is that the move?
21:44Here's the thing.
21:45It doesn't give an overpowering flavor of garlic.
21:48It definitely adds a nice roasted garlic flavor to it.
21:51Ooh, that's fantastic.
21:53Right?
21:54Yeah, I think when you ferment it,
21:55it loses some of the harshness that you would get from a normal raw garlic.
21:59Really complex flavor.
22:00Oh, that's so good.
22:01That's really good, right?
22:02Yeah, yeah, yeah.
22:03I'm a fan.
22:03I'm a fan.
22:04This is so fantastic.
22:05Last spot and they brought the heat.
22:07They brought the heat.
22:08All right, so we've had four amazing rams today.
22:11How are you feeling after the ramen tour?
22:12I'm very full, but very happy.
22:14They've had some fantastic food today.
22:16All four of the spots really have brought the heat
22:18in their own slightly different way.
22:19If you had to pick one as your favorite, which is very difficult,
22:22because everything is absolutely fantastic as I'm still eating this one.
22:25This might be like the hardest decision on this trip so far.
22:28Why is that?
22:29I've just really enjoyed all of them and they've all been slightly different in their own way.
22:33They're putting their own little spins on things.
22:35So trying to pick one of the four for me is very difficult.
22:37I think the ones that jump out to me are possibly the Tonkotsu from Daikokuya.
22:43Yeah.
22:43And also probably just the Tonkotsu from Ramen Nagi as well.
22:47That's so, I felt the same exact point.
22:50Yeah, it is.
22:50I noticed that I'm being like, oh yeah.
22:52Exactly, like starting at the end of the day with two possibly perfect bowls of ramen.
22:58Yes.
22:58I think I've had to pick one though.
23:01Nagi.
23:03Surprisingly, the lamb one was my favorite.
23:06Interesting.
23:07Compared to the original.
23:07I mean, probably if I went there frequently, I'd get the original more often.
23:11But that lamb one was like, oh my god, I even know you could do this.
23:14Fine, fine margins between all four of these spots.
23:17The finest.
23:17I think if I had to pick one, it probably would be the Tonkotsu from Daikokuya.
23:21Yeah, the flagship bowl.
23:24It's definitely on the heavier and more indulgent side,
23:27but the flavor that that like back fat and the garlic and everything is imparting onto that broth,
23:33the texture of those springy noodles, the pork, that's so tender and it's just wonderful.
23:38That's like, you know, for me, a big, hearty, comforting hug in the form of a ramen.
23:43In general, it has actually been quite eye-opening for me today,
23:45because pretty much all the ramen that we've had has been better than I would say any ramen in the UK
23:50that I've had in the past.
23:52I might not have hit up the best spots.
23:54If any UK ramen heads are out there, please recommend some stuff to me.
23:58But these have all been like on a level, which I personally love.
24:01I guess that speaks to LA.
24:03It speaks to LA's like Japanese population and the kind of culture and the cuisines
24:08that people have really brought here.
24:09And yeah, you can taste it.
24:11It's really great.
24:12We've got more to do tomorrow.
24:13All right, man.
24:14Let's go get our beauty sleep.
24:17I don't know if this is going to make it in the video,
24:19but here's how good this ramen is.
24:21Oh, Joe Petey.
24:22There.
24:23The ramen is so good.
24:24It's that good.
24:25Right there.
24:26I got to change my pants.