Jidaiya Ramen and Soba Sojibo Now Open in Gardena

1) Gardena: Torihei has been a people's izakaya joint since opening in March 2009, and every Friday night the clipboard wait list is filled full of hopeful izakaya-ers. Everyone was hoping Torihei would grow out of South Bay a la Musha, but the expansion never materialized. Luckily, Torihei decided to invest its extracurricular talents into ramen via Jidaiya ((???)). Much like Torihei, no PR tactics were deployed by Jidaiya, but within the first week, the dining room was already packed at lunch. Co-owner Taigo Sato tells Eater the tonkotsu soup is "boiled for over 10 hours" using soft water with 95% impurities removed. The "basic" tonkotsu "Yokohama" ramen (with a slice of chasiu, bamboo, wood ear, nori) costs $6.95 and extra toppings range from $1 (hanjuku tamago) to $2 (extra serving of cha siu). Cash only. 18537 S. Western Ave., Gardena

2) Gardena: Soba Sojibo, owned by Kineya Company Japan, is now serving. There are 30 Sojibo's in Tokyo alone, but the Gardena location is the first bona-fide branch of Sojibo in the US. Sojibo is known for making affordable cold zaru soba that's extremely popular during summer, and the company touts the high polyphenols found in soba noodles, but is loved for offering table-side grate-it-yourself fresh wasabi in Japan. No further news of US expansion at this time. 1757 W Carson St., Torrance