In the storm of all this drama following the NCLEX-RN this morning, Dave and I found two great places to eat, thanks to our trusty Yelp and my post-exam trauma/despair.
Hakata Ramen Shin-Sen-Gumi is a quaint Japanese noodle house in Rosemead. It's not as far as it seems - 20 minutes. The last time Dave and I tried authentic Japanese ramen was in Vancouver, and as has been most food in Los Angeles county in comparison, Hakata was delicious. As soon as you walk in, you feel the steam of the boiled noodles permeating the restaurant as the staff great you in Japanese. You get to choose the firmness of the noodles: hard, medium, soft. The strength of the soup base: strong, medium, light. The amount of oil: high, medium, low. I recommend everything at medium if it's your first time. Dave ordered the C-set which comes with ramen noodles and Takana fried rice. I ordered the L-set that comes with 1/2 ramen noodles, Takana fried rice and a salad. Filling and a good change in Japanese cuisine from the usual sushi-sashimi.
Gyu-Kaku happy hour in Pasadena. $2.95 for a plate(s) of your choice of: kalbi chuck, bistro harami, chicken tender, and/or garlic shrimp that you grill yourself. The concept is similar to a Korean BBQ - minus the endless side dishes and, fortunately, minus the kalbi stink that leaves on your clothes. According to Dave and his endless Asian cuisine knowledge via his mom, Gyu-Kaku invested a ton of money into each of those individual grills that suck all the smoke down through the grill rather than up through a fan above the table. Hence, no stink. Another added bonus: draft beers $0.99.
Luckily Pasadena is surrounded by large Chinese, Armenian, Hispanic populations that come with their own authentic cuisine and culinary gems within their vicinity.
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