{Orochon Ramen, Little Tokyo}
This past Saturday morning my boyfriend looked at me and said: "What do you want for breakfast? Coffee? Eggs?" My response: "Orochon and beer." It may not be my classiest moment, but it was quite the moment of glory that added to my credibility as a girlfriend.
Orochon Ramen used to be nothing more than a "cult classic" that my boyfriend and his friends used to obsess over. And then I tried it. Orochon may be the most delicious bowl of noodles that I have ever tasted in my life - and that's saying a lot for me, I don't typically enjoy just a bowl of noodles.
You may recognize it from the Travel Channel show Man vs. Food. Orochon is no joke. You can order how spicy you want your broth from 7 (mild) to -2 (yes, that's negative 2 and it will probably burn your esophagus all the way down to the toilet). If you can eat a whole bowl of -2 Orochon, then you are a champ. However, you may pass out before the sheer volume of food before you realize how spicy it is.
We always order a miso #4 (4 is spicy but not too spicy - we always add a little bit of hot oil). There are three broth options, but I haven't even bothered trying anything other than the miso because miso is the best. Don't forget to order a few eggs with your Orochon (which makes it even more decadent). The basic bowl comes with noodles, broth, veggies, and pork. I tend to add an egg or two, double meat, and garlic to that.
There is no dainty way to eat Orochon. You just really have to dig in, and wash it down with a nice pitcher of Kirin or Asahi. There really is nothing better to cure a hangover or a craving for a great bowl of noodles in Little Tokyo than Orochon Ramen.
{The only way to eat Orochon: shovel it like a beast}
