The good news continues to pour in for West Los Angeles ramen-heads, as another well-known Japanese noodle chain announces its coming arrival on Olympic Boulveard and Barrington, taking space in the strip mall that long sheltered Raku just a stone’s throw from Little Osaka. Ramen Hayatemaru’s origins are traced to Hokkaido, Japan, where the outfit specializes in a short menu of six miso-concentrated Hokkaido-style broths, popularized here by chef Munetsugu Okuhara, with handmade noodles of medium girth and rich sauces imported from the chain’s factory in Sapporo.
Among Hayatemaru’s creations are also pork-laden tonkotsu ramen, soy-based shoyu, and at both addresses, the restaurant will soon be jumping into the tsukemen dipping noodle game that’s thoroughly swept up this corner of the city. The menu tends to be six items strong, with a few small plates to accompany the bowls in an environment that won’t scare that sticky-table-shy friend you probably should have left at home in the first place.
So far, Hayatemaru’s only other local presence is in Torrance, where long lines rival the long drives devotees are willing to make to their get their hands on an inexpensive bowl, a list of clients that includes L.A. Weekly critic Besha Rodell, who (like any new Angeleno worth her salt) wondered what she was doing trekking so damn far for a bite, only to fall in love with the gyoza and Korean-descended jjigae ramen.
Ramen Hayatemaru, 11678 W. Olympic Blvd. Suite 105 West L.A..
