DAIKOKUYA - Large Black Horse in the Wall
The atmosphere and space are not the main attraction. There is little to be desired in ambience and decor. BUT THE FOOD IS AMAZING! And the price is right.
I recently had dinner with some friends here and it took about an hour and a half on a Saturday night to be seated. There were protesters milling up and down the street and eclectic crowds waiting outside for this restaurant and several restaurants surrounding it. This made for some interesting people watching while you wait.
The ramen is so incredibly good and although I wasn't able to get the recipe for these amazing ramen noodles, the Japanese are known for making their ramen with only six fresh ingredients —organic wheat, organic barley, water, sea salt, organic wheat gluten, and kansui. What's kansui? It's a combination of mineral salts that gives ramen noodles their springy resilience. I have to believe that these were possibly made similarly.
The service was excellent considering how many people they are serving in a rather short amount of time. The food came out hot, fresh and the waiters and waitresses were very attentive. This gave you the impression they wanted to make sure you had all you need quickly and then you'd be on your way so that they could serve the never-ending crowd outside.
Even though its a small restaurant the vibe there is comfortable and clean. The noise level was medium to loud, but was a happy group of people despite the agony of waiting while taking in the extraordinary smell of the food cooking. But once seated, we were served quickly and we were so happy to be finally enjoying what we knew was going to be so scrumptious!
Daikokuya means large black horse in Japanese and represents strength of maturity to handle what life brings. A messenger of spiritual knowledge and a keeper of secrets and mysteries. This restaurant definitely had a unique character, distinct and mysteriously delicious for different reasons than the outer fluff and aesthetics that usually help you enjoy your restaurant experience.
I would recommend giving it a try. Just make sure you have enough time to wait for your seat and for afterward tool through Little Tokyo’s fantastic little markets. And don't forget to get some desserts from either the trucks across the street or the market there has some great Mochi ice cream bites. Gucci!
FEATURED ITEMS
SOURCES https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mochi_ice_cream
http://www.astrologyoftheancients.com/celtic-black-horse-meaning/ https://norecipes.com/homemade-ramen-noodle-recipe
