When you go through the noren (Japanese door curtains) that have “Daikokuya” printed on them, you are suddenly thrown into a world of the late 1950s. The speakers play oldies while there are retro posters and decorations on the walls. The staff is all energetic and cheerful, and they work together to make the store a fun place to eat. Not only are there Japanese customers, the store is full with customers who are American and Chinese day and night. Since the store is open until late at night, there are many customers who stay long. Again, probably because of the location, there are many who just stop by and enjoy a drink with their ramen. Their special, the “Daikoku Ramen,” is a popular item. But that is not the only thing they are known for. Their “Yakibuta (Pork) Bowl” uses the pork used in the ramen with a special sweet and spicy sauce.
The special, “Daikoku Ramen” uses a tonkotsu (pork bone) based soup. They are so particular about this, their ramen menu only consists of this. The most important element of the ramen, the soup, is an original recipe made from the combination of tonkotsu and chicken bone. There is also soy sauce flavored seafood base blended in. Then there are over 20 ingredients such as vegetables added and slowly boiled. So the result is rich tonkotsu soup with a hint of seafood taste. Contrary to how it looks, it is very light in your mouth. The ramen noodles are customized to match the soup and are mid-sized and crinkled. The chashu is marinated in the specially made soup. They also choose chashu with the right amount of fat, and therefore very soft. There is also a whole egg dipped in mirin soy sauce, bean sprouts, topped with a huge amount of green onion in the ramen. You can choose the thickness of the soup according to your own taste, which is a great added value.
The gyoza (fried dumplings) that go great with ramen is also part of their menu. Unlike the common round gyoza, they are thinner and long like a stick. The chewy inside has black pork minced meat (also used in their chashu), hakusai, and seasoning. Wrapped with thin gyoza wraps, they are fried to a crisp. And of course it is topped with thinly cut green onions. The sauce is a light one, consisting of soy sauce and vinegar. If you break the gyoza with your chopsticks, the tasty pork gushes with juice. Once you put it in your mouth, you will not be able to stop. The gyoza wrap is very thin, so a lady can finish a whole plate. This is one item you will not want to miss at Daikokuya.