Fujin Ramen is always busy no matter when I go. I frequent this restaurant whenever I’m in the area and also recommend it to friends when they’re in the area as well. It’s located in the same plaza as the HK market, where a small Indonesian food court exists adjacent to it. I’ve never had to wait too long for a table, however, the service there can sometimes be hit or miss.
The first time my other half and I went to Fujin Ramen, we ordered the spicy miso ramen and the miso ramen with an addition of corn. The first thing that hit me when the two bowls arrived at our table was the color of the broth of my ramen. The chili oil was floating right at the surface and there was a large, charred piece of chasiu in the center of it all. It was a little intimidating to see how red the broth was, not because I was afraid it’d be really spicy, but because I was afraid that the ramen would be very oily overall. I quickly mixed the noodles and the broth together, hoping the oil would somehow disappear from my sight for a little while as I ate.
The noodles were firmly cooked, and the broth wasn’t heavy. It definitely was a little more oilier than I would’ve liked it. However, the charred chasiu was really amazing. It fell apart and melted with each bite.
The miso ramen my other half had ordered was as straightforward as they come. A decent miso broth, nothing fancy and also nothing to rave about. It would be a good default for any first-timers.
I returned to Fujin on another occasion in which I ordered the Shoyu ramen. I think this is my favorite ramen at Fujin. It has a nice slightly salty flavor, firmly cooked noodles, but with a slightly over cooked egg. It wasn’t heavy and I enjoyed taking sips from the broth. Definitely will order this again the next time I’m there.
During Ramen week, I visited Fujin Ramen after they advertised a $5.00 ramen burger. I had never tried the ramen burger and had seen it during the 626 night market on a couple of occasions and wanted to give it a try. I didn’t know what all the hype was, but the burger was just that — all hype and no substance. I don’t know why anyone would think this combination would work together, but it didn’t. It was incredibly difficult to eat and after taking a couple of bites out of the burger, it fell apart and I resorted to eating with a knife and fork. The most disappointing part of the burger was how the ramen absorbed all of the sauce in the burger, making it really soggy. The mouth feel of eating this was not the most pleasant. I’m sad to say, the ramen burger is just not for me. I would like to stick with ramen and burgers separately from now on please.
Definitely give Fujin Ramen a try. The staff is friendly, but again, the service can be hit or miss. Some days servers checked on us frequently and others, we had to flag them down like a flight control officer bringing in a 757 airplane. Go for the shoyu!
Enjoy!
Josie
Fujin Ramen
1017 S Glendora Ave
West Covina, CA 91790
Oh My Food Coma! 