10 Best Eats in Little Osaka: Neighborhood Grub Crawl

A. Scattergood

Kimchi ramen at Asahi

6. Asahi Ramen:
When Asahi Ramen opened, twenty-six years ago, there was only one other ramen shop in the whole area. Not now. And with the yen so high against the dollar, many of them are Japanese-owned, which keeps the feel of the neighborhood intact. At Asahi, you can expect large bowls and not-so-large prices. The decor is simple and light, with pale tan tables and chairs filling a cafe-sized space. In addition to ramen -- the kimchi ramen, on the menu for the last three or so years, is stellar -- you can get cold and hot noodle dishes, also yakisoba, gyoza and many additional small plates. Cash only. 2027 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles; 310-479-2231.

A. Scattergood

oden at Morinoya

5. Morinoya:
Chef Takayuki Morishita opened Morinoya last spring, upstairs from Kiriko in the complex on the corner of Olympic and Sawtelle, serving yakitori, hot pots, noodles, sushi and sashimi -- and oden. Oden is a bowl of broth in which has been simmered many things, notably fish cakes and eggs, tofu and daikon, also suji niku (charmingly billed as "fibrous meat"), tofu and konjac, a traditional vegetable that's kind of like a cross between a plant and an eraser. A serious comfort food in Japan, where you can find it in steaming tubs in Tokyo 7-Elevens, oden is still somewhat hard to find in L.A. It shouldn't be, as it's the perfect light meal on a cold winter day. 11301 W. Olympic Blvd., Suite 210 Los Angeles; 310-473-3960.

A. Scattergood

tofu at Ramen Jinya

4. Ramen Jinya:
When the first Ramen Jinya opened in L.A., in a strip mall in Studio City, Angelenos went a little nuts, happy to have superior tonkotsu ramen available -- without having to drive to Gardena. Jinya's bowls of ramen, loaded with fine noodles and porky broth, seemed the Platonic ideal of ramen, and their house-made tofu, made tableside, seemed like our answer to flambeeing crepes at table. Since then, the Jinyas have multiplied, including this one in Little Osaka, which opened -- after a very, very long wait -- in June. Jinya's ramen may not be the best in L.A. anymore, now that we've had our ramen renaissance, but they're outstanding -- and the tofu is still worth the show. 2208 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles; 310-481-0977.

G. Snyder

okonomiyaki at Gottsui

3. Gottsui:
Okonomiyaki is one of the great pleasures of Japanese cuisine, a massive pancake of savory batter and bonito and mayonnaise (and, depending on your whim, shrimp, squid, bacon, potato, fried egg, etc.) that, ideally, you assemble yourself on a hot griddle in the center of your table. Sometimes servers do this for you; sometimes they do not. But however your dinner is made, it's a blissful assembly (or mess, really) of ingredients. At Gottsui, you watch the dish being made in the open kitchen, enormous cakes that then arrive on hot skillets. Finally, a reason to use a trowel in the context of the kitchen. 2119 Sawtelle Blvd. Los Angeles; 310-478-0521.