The ramen is rolling in Chinatown. Just yesterday, news trickled out that Alvin Cailan’s (Eggslut) Ramen Champ at the Far East Plaza may be only days away. Well, look at what we have here.
Still in friends and family mode, Ramen Champ is officially ready for slurping as of Monday evening, which means people have all day on MLK Day to get excited. The simple, arty space seats just 22 though, so anyone really hankering for a bowl of Cailan’s tonkotsu better plan on getting in line early.
Tucked into a former Chinese bakery space on the second floor of the Far East Plaza, nearly above Chego, guests will first notice the neon arrow pointing the way. Once inside, a "cookies and cream" granite countertop stands in for any tables, with sturdy wooden stools and jacket hooks rounding out the sit-down experience. Mostly, it’s about Ramen Champ’s awesome art from New York artist Mike Houston, who’s done work for Lucky Peach, Mind of a Chef and more.
And then there’s that ridiculously gorgeous brushed hood over the open kitchen area (also manned by Johnny lee and former Men Oh Tokushima cook Nathan Asamoto). Interestingly enough, the hood is original to the space — it took some serious elbow grease to work off years of dereliction, but with a space as small as Ramen Champ’s, it was necessary to have the hood stand out.
Ramen Champ starts slinging bowls on Monday at 4 p.m.
Ramen Champ
727 N. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA
Loading comments...