Behold The Majesty Of Ramen – In A Burger!
Time to share my amazing “Ramen Burger” adventure in Los Angeles – a culinary journey that began in Japan!
Meet The Ramen Burger Master!
First, meet Chef Keizo Shimamoto – who runs “Ramen Burger” – a great restaurant with locations all over the world!
Chef Shimamoto loves to make – and serve – THIS:
Here is the way the Ramen Burger website describes the inspiration for Ramen Burger: “As a Japanese kid growing up in California, Keizo Shimamoto developed a love for both parts of his culture: L.A. and Tokyo, ramen and burgers.
While studying ramen in Japan, he encountered pork sandwiches with ramen buns, and a light bulb went off. Inspired by the burgers back home, he merged the best of both and reinvented two iconic dishes.
The Original Ramen Burger™ was born, as was an unpredictable, unprecedented, unrestrained demand from the public.
The result is iconoclastic and exciting, and he’s just getting started.”
Well Then, Start On Me!
I was invited by my friend Cary Greene to join him at the Ramen Burger restaurant in Los Angeles…how could I refuse?
The adventure begins in Koreatown – located west of downtown LA and east of Hollywood…and as you can see, you can actually order your food through a window and eat outside!
As you can see, it’s a diverse menu, and we dove in head first! You have four different burgers, with three different topping options…plus specials as well – and yes, those are “Seaweed Fries” you see listed! I will show you those, but first we had to try these:
Takoyaki! Octopus Balls!
Yes, these deep fried Octopus balls came in a delicious mayo with green onions – they were moist, full of great chunks of Octopus, and very filling for an appetizer!
Bring On The Ramen!
Now, time for the main course: time to dive into a Ramen Burger! First, you are served a burger wrapped in a very unique manner:
Then its time to dig in – first, the beef patty is large, the meat is succulent, the arugula a nice spicy taste that pushes back against the tangy sweet secret shoe glaze…and of course, some bacon!
The “bun” itself is slightly crunchy on the top, but soft and spongy – in a very good way! It has the flavor of a great ramen noodle, the firmness needed to handle the burger, and is a unique flavor contrast to a regular bun!
Pass Me The Seaweed Fries!
This was the greatest surprise of all: you can order fries, with cheese – or you can order them with seaweed!
If you eat sushi you know what seaweed tastes like: now imagine that flavor sprinkled over some fries – with a nice touch of salt – and you know what is in store – and they are delicious!
Ramen Burger was terrific – and it really made me passionate about ramen in all its forms!
And you can see more ramen magic as well:
The “Taishoken Ganso Tsukemen Ramen Burger”!
Yes, the Lotteria restaurant chain in Japan has a special ramen burger as well!
Yes, the “ramen burger” craze began in Japan! And that’s not all! Remember this burger masterpiece?
Yes, Japan has led the way in making the world’s most unique burgers!
See some of the wackiest burgers Japan has ever come up with here:
And if you are still thinking about ramen, how about his:
These scenes are from the great film “Tampopo” – a film that loves ramen noodles! Click here for recipes from the movie:
And finally, you may want to try ONE more ramen noodle dish – in a museum!
Yes, Japan has a “Cup O’ Noodles” museum! See it here:
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Thanks so much for reading and let me know if you love ramen as much as I do! Also, I you enjoy this story please share with your friends on social media!
Let me know if you’ve had a ramen burger and what you thought of it!
Categories: Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Burgers, Eat This!, Fast Food, Food, Food Pictures, Food Porn, Recipes, Restaurants, Sliders, Wacky Food, World's Wildest Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
Have made burger buns with sticky rice but not noodles I’m sure the kids would love the noodle buns 🙂
I would happily eat the ramen burger, John, and the seaweed fries. I don’t think that idea has got over to England yet though. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
Pete, it really never took off here either! Thanks for the comment!