Torrance to Costa Mesa:An Umaimono Fair Crawl Part 2
Saturday, May 17th I set out to sample more Umaimono Fair treats. Since the event was only until the 18th, I enlisted the help of a few friends to share the large amounts of food available. On our hit list was the shark’s fin ramen, BBQ beef tongue, and the shina soba.
Stomachs empty, we arrived ready for battle at the Torrance Mitsuwa. Tokyo’s Chibakiya was offering shark’s fin ramen exclusively at this location for the fair. There was no line(erm…$18 a bowl) and we received our order quickly. The ramen was nicely presented in a ceramic bowl with a real spoon-a step up from the regular plastic bowls offered from other vendors.
Broken droplets of oil created a thin layer afloat the light yellow broth, both smelling and tasting similar to chicken broth. A thick quartered bok choy was held up by a nest of noodles as a pile of negi and chopped white onions slowly sank nearby. The pale yellow noodles were mostly straight and medium firm, easily untangling from one another.
A generous serving of shark fin struggled to remain at the surface of the broth. There were a few large pieces of the transparent cartilage surrounded by a group of smaller threads, all of which were tender and a bit crunchy at the same time. The broth did an excellent job of adhering to the shark fin, each bite full of pungent juices.
If you’ve ever had shark’s fin soup before, this rendition was very similar. Still, it was fun to try it just for the experience; since ramen is usually a cheap comfort food, pairing it with shark’s fin was a treat. After sampling a few other small items(and resisting many more) we hit the road to Costa Mesa.
