Fujin Ramen was previously covered here, and again here.

Despite the consistent praise, nearly 100 yelps and my repeated visited, the room here never seems busy on the weekends. A few months back, Elmer-san decided to re-invent the tsukemen and revamp the menu along with the approval of Fujin’s liquor license. Prices are a tad bit higher, but the tsukemen is, as always, a flexible, reimagined bowl of tasty carbs.

Chef Elmer combined the best of tsukemen and dolsot soon doobu cooking. The porky broth arrives in heated stoneware and stays boiling long enough to poach an egg. There is an option to get a raw egg just like at Korean soft tofu restaurants. Choose it, crack it. Attempt to leave egg undisturbed while gently dipping the cold ramen into smoldering broth. After 5 minutes of slurping, you’ll most likely only be half way done with the 6 ounces of noodles. At this time, coddle the warm yolk onto the noodles and send it running down the carb ropes. Hopefully you’ve already tossed the bonito powder and left at least half a slice of chasiu pork. Break the final piece of chasiu, retoss the noodles. There you have it: ramen alla carbonara.

Fujin respects the wishes of the customer and can bespoke the tsukemen with kotteri in addition to the already lardy tonkotsu dipping brause (broth-sauce). Don’t be tempted by the snake. The bits of back fat adds nothing to the experience except more cholesterol. This is already a heavenly bowl with an equally sensuous slurping/tossing experience.

$10 for this madness, or $25 for a few strands of spaghetti at Scarpetta. Tough call.

Fujin Ramen
1017 South Glendora Avenue
West Covina, CA 91790
(626) 814-2020

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