I owe a lot to Daikokuya. I mean, I was raised on packaged Sapporo Ichiban; this Little Tokyo ramen shop introduced me to the seductive delights of tonkotsu ramen, with its rich and silky pork-bone broth, and meltingly tender slices of chashu, braised pork belly.

But is it worth waiting in this line, at 10 o’clock on a Thursday night?

My stomach didn’t think so. After several happy hours at Seven Grand, I was craving a good bowl of noodles, and then bed.

San Sui Tei, another ramen place, is just a few doors down the street from the Big D, but it doesn’t seem to absorb any overflow traffic whatsoever. The first time I tried their ramen, shortly after they opened about a year ago, it seemed really light, like a Cantonese soup. But it was tasty enough.

The broth has gained some heft since then, and is satisfyingly savory. My bowl of chashu ramen is more veggie-intense than most, including corn niblets and shredded cabbage as well as the more common stewed bamboo shoots and wisps of pink pickled ginger. The chashu is thinly sliced, but appropriately luscious. I was enjoying my meal until, towards the bottom of the bowl, I started to question my judgment. Was the broth just one-dimensional, perhaps a bit too salty? What do I know about ramen, anyway?

But it was too late to reexamine. I’d eaten it all up.

San Sui Tei
313 E. 1st Street
Little Tokyo
(213) 613-0100