This was my second visit, and it was just as good as the first. The noodles were fresh and…read moreflavorful, and the dim sum was delicious as always. The staff remembered us and provided friendly, attentive service throughout the meal. It's hard to find a place that stays this consistent, and that's exactly why I came back. By the way, I also loved the star jasmine by the entrance--the fragrance was amazing and made the whole place feel even more inviting. Looking forward to my next visit!

Chinese food is always a sure bet whenever we can't decide what to have for lunch. So today we…read morestopped by Tasty Noodle since we were just a couple blocks away. Located on the corner of PCH and Penn Ave, the restaurant features its own 16-car parking lot. Inside, the décor is quite casual, and it is spacious enough to accommodate 50 guests. Upon arrival, the friendly staff promptly guided us to our table and brought menus and water right away. While perusing their menu, we found out they have stinky tofu. Yes, stinky tofu! The dish, with its pungent aroma and unique flavor, caused the ultimate sensory conflict between the taste and smell when we tried it for the first time. So, in a benign masochistic way, we went ahead and ordered their Crispy Spicy Stinky Tofu with Pork. When the dish arrived, we apologized profusely to our next table patrons for the smell, and even offered to let them try it, which they unhesitatingly and politely refused. This restaurant's version was slightly different. The fried tofu cubes had a tougher texture, less airy, and were lightly flavored. The sauce was nicely spicy, but the ground pork was present only in spirit because we couldn't find it. Overall, it was not too bad, but it could be better. Besides the tofu dish, we also ordered their Seafood in Crab Meat Sauce Noodle. This was an interesting dish. The soup came separately from the noodles and starchy sauce, which had shrimp and fish fillet toppings. This setup allows you to dilute the soup's thickness to your liking. The noodles were nicely al dente, the sauce was well seasoned, and the shrimp and fish filets had a great texture. Crab meat sauce was blended in the broth and kind of MIA. Lastly, we ordered Black Pepper Seafood Rice Cake. The sauce was pleasantly savory, a tad sweet, and slightly spicy from black peppers. The sliced rice cakes had a perfect texture: neither too soft nor too hard. The pieces of squid and fish filet toppings had a very nice consistency. The prices were reasonable and the food was very good. Recommended.

The Pad See Eew with Shrimp is better than the chicken which was dry. and the Thai Red curry was…read moredelicious.

The restaurant is a hidden gem and I really mean it. It is tucked away in a small corner plaza on…read morePCH, and it serves an absolute gem of a Thai meal. Inside, with its casual decor, is large enough to accommodate 16 people max. The friendly waitress brought water and menus right away. After browsing through the menus, we ordered the following dishes: Papaya Salad with Shrimps: The lettuce leaves were super fresh, and the papaya strings were nicely crunchy. The blend of fish sauce with lime juice was refreshingly tangy and slightly sweet. We just wished there were more than two shrimps in the salad. House Noodle with Seafood (Flat Noodle): The broth was clear, light and umami. The flat noodles had a very nice texture and the portion was generous. The fish fillets, shrimp, and mussels were pleasantly fresh. Kra Paw over Rice w/ Fried Egg: The ground pork was well seasoned and paired nicely with the perfectly cooked white rice. The sauteed onion slices provided a lovely aroma and subtle sweetness. The runny fried egg on top gave a nice accent and extra flavor. Yen Tao Fo: Visually, the whole dish is pinker than a Barbie room. The broth with fermented tofu curd and chili sauce was quite exquisite and polarizing: spicy, sweet, and tangy. The flat noodles had a nice firm texture. The seafood was fresh, and the snow fungus and bok choy were tenderly crunchy. The prices were reasonable and the food was excellent. Highly recommended.

I absolutely love this little spot. I originally came for the popcorn chicken and now it's the…read morereason I keep coming back. If you've ever had popcorn chicken from a good boba shop, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. The chicken is crispy, juicy, perfectly seasoned, and somehow manages to disappear before I make it home. The fried basil is the real MVP though! crispy, fragrant, and incredibly addictive! Highly recommend checking out this local gem!!!

Came here for some Taiwanese snack food. I was not disappointed. The best were the popcorn chicken…read moreand salt and pepper pork chops. The popcorn chicken was perfectly crispy and salty. We asked for not spicy and there was only a hint of white pepper. The only negative was the presentation. It is served in a large paper cone. That's fine if you're eating and walking with it. But at a table, the cone was so tall that you have to stand up to see the chicken inside. And you have to rotate the cone if you're sharing since one side of the cone is taller than the other. The stinky tofu was serviceable but it could have been stinkier. The beef noodle soup was okay. The beef was very tender and the soup was good. But it's not as flavorful as the ones at Sue's Kitchen up the street. The only miss for me was the Dan Dan noodles. I was warned it was spicy but it was a bit spicier than I anticipated. That's ok but the sauce had a weird sour taste to it that was kind of off putting. The service is very attentive. I wish they served boba drinks. Overall we will definitely be back. I can't wait until they open their new branch up in Palos Verdes later this year.

I was craving some hot and sour soup and decided to go alone. It's one of my favorite things to do…read moreis just go for a bite and bring a book. I ordered that, bok choy and mushrooms, and a bowl of rice. My waiter looked at me and asked if I knew if I knew the soup was in a big bowl. I told him that I would be taking some home and I wouldn't be stuffing my face quite so much. It was indeed a big bowl. I like mine a little runnier but who am I to complain. It was a cold night so it was nice to drink in something warming to my soul. The bok choy and mushrooms were also great and the side of rice was sizable. I'll be back. It was a nice change of pace from eating my own cooking. Enjoy!

Service = 5 stars Food = 3 stars…read moreWe've been to Ruiji in the past & it was excellent, but not this time. The standout was the clay pot chicken, this was AMAZING & DELICIOUS!!! Everything else however, sucked. The soup tasted like they literally forgot to add ingredients, my hubby called it "water soup". we asked the waitress for salt & pepper, which helped. the garlic stems & braised tofu were just really meh. I'm not sure what happened to this place. maybe just stick with the Sichuan dishes?? The service though was excellent.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Southbay. Their soba, udon, broth and sashimi are all so…read moretasty & fresh. I had the yuzu snapper with hot soba recently and everything just melted in my mouth. Place is kind of small so go at non bust times or prepare to wait.

When my husband and I are craving a quick, comforting meal, this is one of our go-to spots. We've…read morebeen coming here for a while, and the staff has gotten to know us and is even familiar with our usual order, which always makes us feel welcome. This is a small Japanese restaurant, but that's part of its charm. The intimate setting makes it feel cozy, warm, and inviting. It's the kind of place where you can relax, enjoy a delicious meal, and feel right at home. Everything we've tried has been consistently fresh and flavorful, and every visit leaves us happy and satisfied. One of my faves is the location! Our chiropractor, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods and more are in the shopping center. Super love!

Yuzu chashu udon: noodles were perfectly cooked, broth was clean yuzu forward, chashu was amazing!…read more Kakiage bowl: crispy and good flavor but it was pretty much just a bunch of onion fried with a couple pieces of shrimp Banbanji: very refreshing, tastes like Taiwanese Liang mian(sesame cold noodle) All the food was amazing, but a bit pricey (these two orders were almost $60 ) considering the portion and self service Fill your own cup of water or tea at the front and bring cash!

The exterior does a hell of a sales job. Tucked into Old Torrance, Ichimiann looks like the kind of…read moreplace you hope has been doing one thing correctly for decades. Handmade noodles. Old wood. No unnecessary theater. I walked in expecting the sort of modest Japanese restaurant that makes you wonder why anyone bothers opening anything new. Then you get inside. There is old in the charming sense, where every worn surface feels earned. And then there is old in the neglected sense, where the room feels dim, tired and coated in the residue of a thousand lunches. Ichimiann lands much closer to the second. The cafeteria style ordering, self serve tea and tray return could have been part of its appeal, but the space has no real rhythm to it. You order, drift toward the back and eventually find yourself eating in a room that feels more institutional than intimate. The staff was pleasant and efficient. No complaint there. The soba itself was also good, properly textured, clean tasting and clearly better than the lifeless supermarket versions most people know. The problem is that "good soba" is carrying nearly the entire restaurant on its back. The portions are remarkably small for the price and every addition begins to feel like another minor financial penalty. By the time the tray reaches the table, you are looking at a modest serving of noodles in a tired room and wondering how the bill became so ambitious. Handmade or not, there was nothing on the plate that felt difficult enough, generous enough or memorable enough to justify it. That is the disappointment. Ichimiann presents itself like a surviving piece of old Torrance, but tradition alone is not hospitality and age alone is not character. The noodles are respectable. Nearly everything surrounding them needs considerably more care. I wanted to discover a neighborhood institution. What I found was an expensive bowl of decent soba in a restaurant that seems to believe its history is doing more work than it actually is.

The storefront of the popular full-service catering operation (founded in 2015) in the LA area,…read moreBites & Bashes Cafe in Lomita opened in 2018. My wife and I had an enjoyable breakfast experience, tasting some unique dishes that are worth coming in for. We had a real early errand in the Lomita area, so wanted to take advantage by trying a different breakfast place. They have a really informative website, explaining the owning family's participation and how some of their food is sourced. It's a brunch place (open from 8 am to 2/3 pm, Tu-Su), so needed to wait a bit outside (street parking only, found one hour free parking right in front since coming so early). Menus are available at the front counter, and you place and pay (clover) for your order first. The food came out soon after, delivered to your table. There is a self-serve water jug in the same area as take-as-you-need take-out containers (also saw a self-serve costco-size plastic wrap box for wrapping...such a Korean thing to do). Utensils and napkins are available at the table to take for need. I really like places like this that have optimized the service experience, getting what you need without having to track someone down. Forking Around's Filipino Burrito ($18.95) - a collab with the food influencer 'Forking Around' to put into a breakfast burrito, many common ingredients from a Filipino breakfast. This includes egg, garlic fried rice as base and a vegetable lumpia with longanisa pieces, wrapped in a good flour tortilla. Sides were both a cilantro lime crema and a well made sawsawan. The sausage was not too sweet nor too red (though perhaps a bit too meatloaf-like), and the lumpia in the burrito worked for me. Korean Breakfast with bulgogi and steamed rice ($19.95) - it was served in a cast-iron skillet and the pan had been heated up greatly...super hot when served and still warm by the time we left. The flavor of the bulgogi was solid, and I loved the presentation. Taco Truck Burrito ($17.95) - korean-style al pastor pork, with pineapple and kimchi fried rice and egg. It was good....forgot to ask if the meat was really cooked on a vertical rotisserie. Came with a good chipotle salsa and lime crema. We were done in 30 minutes, from entry to exit. It wasn't too busy, so asked the front-of-house lead where the longanisa sausage and lumpia were made...she stated that it was all in-house. That's really impressive, making an ingredient from scratch that is only used in one dish. This and the elegant presentation and longevity really shows that the entire team behind bites & bashes cafe (catering) knows what they are doing.

This recent visit was disappointing. First, parking is not great. A few years ago they used to have…read morethe small lot on 25514 Narbonne for staff and customers but, now it is for staff only. So it's only street parking. If you need the blue placard parking, there is only 1 space behind their small building. They have Korean and Filipino inspired dishes. Ie. banana turon or ube pancakes, Filipino inspired burrito with longanisa. I chose the bulgogi plate and asked for no white rice and was offered fruit or salad in lieu of. Tasty bulgogi w/a small egg on top yet the portions are very modest. In the middle of my meal, I ordered one more item- the krak fries which were very garlicky. They go for the presentation with the floral and greens to jazz up the look. Hubby's dish was straight ahead- Bulgogi cheesesteak and fries. Also modest in portions. Iced decaf Americano in a plastic cup and OJ in a plastic cup. Kinda odd considering their price points. Some beverages are in mugs. This was more like a 2.75 stars rounded up to 3.

Unsure of why so many bad reviews. This place is par for delicious ramen in the South Bay. Service…read moreis prompt and kind, the noodles are wavy and chewy, and the broth is thick and delicious. Wife got the tonkotsu. Asked for adding spice to level 3. Very rich broth, and plentiful toppings. The chashu was VERY thick. Standard ramen noodles in this one. I opted for the shisen black. Noodles are little different in this one, but still fantastic. It's similar to a higher quality version of Korean ramyun as far as its thickness, and was quite chewy like an egg noodle. Again, thicccc piece of chashu to accompany the bowl. I'm definitely coming back.

(more like a 3.5-3.7)…read more This was our first time here. I was super excited to find a place that serves chicken broth! The original shisen ramen was pretty good, I did like how it had vegetables in it. I did wish it had meat though (only had tiny pieces of pork). The broth was very light and the noodles were good. If don't prefer a creamy broth you will probably like this. The black shisen ramen was ok, I wish the garlic taste was stronger. The red shisen ramen (level 1) was pretty good but it was spicy (I do not tolerate spice that well) do beware of that! The chasu was also pretty good, it was a little sweet. The miso tonkotsu tsukemen was ok. The noodles were a bit undercooked (in my opinion), and the broth was very rich. The rich miso ramen was (as it is called) very rich. Definitely would need to drink a lot of water if I ate the whole thing. But the broth has a good flavor. It has the same noodles as the tsukemen (so again a little undercooked imo). Our server was super nice, and it is a clean small establishment. Overall not bad, would be down to try again if I am in the area