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Anaheim isn’t a spot I’d venture to out of the blue, but when I heard a new ramen place had opened up I asked a friend if he’d join me there to check out the fare since he lives that way. When I got to the location, I realized that Kappa Ramen had taken over the old Lai Lai Ken space, and I was hoping they would serve me a decent bowl of ramen (after such a big fail I’d experienced at Shizuma last week).
We were given menus almost immediately after being seated and drink orders taken. Our server stopped by to answer any questions we may have regarding the menu (which incidentally turned out to be the owner Nick Reid we later found out) which helped us finalize our decision.
My friend ordered the Kappa “signature” ramen (above right) while I opted for the Kyoto style — the more traditional pork bone soup base — with a side order of chicken karaage. Our meals were definitely cooked to order because it didn’t come out instantaneously and I liked it that way.
I took a sip of my friend’s broth and found it rather tantalizing in its richness and how full bodied the flavor was. I also liked that it had a kick to it. There were bean sprouts, corn, ginger, scallions, kimchi, chashu, half a soy braised boiled egg and most interestingly, slices of fresh avocado. My friend seemed to enjoy his ramen tremendously.
My Kyoto ramen (above left) wasn’t bad either. The pork broth was rich enough for me and wasn’t overly salty. There was half a soy braised egg and although I would’ve liked a few more pieces of chashu, two pieces seem to be the norm at all ramen places. Next time, I’ll get an extra order of the chashu to boot. The noodles also had some scallions and julienned ginger which generally cuts the porkiness of the meat if it is a little gamey.
Chicken karaage (above right) is something I like to order at ramen places and most places does a decent job in taste but often it is too dry. Here, it was nice and crispy on the outside and moist on the inside! Very nice! There are also gyozas, fried noodles, fried rice, cold noodles on the menu but there was only so much stomach space between two people so I’ll have to save the rest for the next trip and I definitely see myself coming back here when I’m in the area next!
Very enjoyable meal especially when Mr Reid offered us complimentary desserts — shave ice (above left) for my friend and a milk pudding (right) for me. Both were refreshingly welcoming after the meal, but I’d have to say, the milk pudding blew me away! Very light with a perfect texture! Bravo!
Kappa Ramen, 3024 W Ball Road, Anaheim, CA. Tel: (714) 828-2210
>Hey Anita is the owner a white guy? If so I'm impressed and surprised.
>Remy, he's happa…. his mom is Japanese. He speaks fluent Japanese though… REALLY nice guy!