From Spaetzle to Saimintosoda

Southeast Asia,

Hawaii and the New

Pan-Asian Chains

If the classic noodle dishes above leave you uninspired, hankering for more adventurous, creative recipes, our city has grown plenty. Chicken is obviously Hainan Chicken’s claim to fame, but its long list of Malaysian curry noodles easily draws as many customers. And then there are the cross-cultural noodles of the Philippines that Mami King’s pancit palabok represents so well; its shrimp gravy–sauced plate of thin rice noodles has the Spanish touch of crushed chicharon as its garnish. At Little Malaysia it’s the curry laksa that I love, with its spaghetti-thick rice noodles and rich, multispiced broth. More popular in Malaysia, though, is the Penang assam laksa, puckery, tart tamarind soup made for adult (or Malay) tastes. And let us not forget the saimin of Hawaii. Inspired by ramen, but still full of its own special character, you’ll find some of the best at Bruddah’sin Gardena and at that other great and campy coffee shop, King’s Hawaiian Bakery and Restaurant. The latest noodle trend is the pan-Asian noodle menu, as evidenced by the springing up in multiples of Noodle Planet Asia Noodle Café, Menjin, Zen Grill and Typhoon(not really a noodle house, but it has a long pan-Asian list of ’em anyway).

Grains have stretched far and wide, and are still stretching, so now that you have this basic guide to some of the world’s various noodles available in L.A., I know you’ll also discover many more noodles and their derivatives on your own. Do send in your suggestions, please.

ComfortFred 62, 1850 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz; (323) 667-0062. Greenblatt’s Deli, 8017 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; (323)656-0606.

EuropeanAnneliese’s Bavarian Inn, 5730 E. Second St., Long Beach; (562) 439-4089. Brent’s Deli, 19565 Parthenia Ave., Northridge; (818) 886-5679. Delphi, 1383 Westwood Blvd., Westwood; (310) 478-2900. Greek Bistro, 17337 Ventura Blvd., Encino; (818) 789-2888. Knoll’s Black Forest Inn, 2454 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica; (310) 395-2212. Langer’s, 704 S. Alvarado St., downtown; (213) 483-8050. Polka, 4112 Verdugo Road, Eagle Rock; (323) 255-7887.

ChineseBeijing Islamic, 3160 Pacific Coast Hwy., Torrance; (310) 784-0846. Chu’s Mandarin Cuisine, 140 W. Valley Blvd., No. 206-7, San Gabriel; (626) 572-6574. Dumpling House, 5612 Rosemead Blvd., Temple City; (626) 309-9918. Dumpling Master, 423 N. Atlantic Blvd., No. 106, Monterey Park; (626) 458-8689. Heavy Noodling (formerly Dow Shaw Noodles), 153 E. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park; (626) 307-9583. Luk Yue, 123 N. Garfield Ave., Monterey Park, (626) 280-2888; and 735 W. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park, (626) 284-6638. Sam Woo Barbecue and Noodles, 634 W. Garvey Ave., Monterey Park; (626) 289-4858; also 514 W. Valley Blvd., Alhambra, (626) 281-0038; 803 N. Broadway, Chinatown, (213) 687-7238; 6450 Sepulveda Blvd., Van Nuys, (818) 988-6813. San Tong, 18155 S. Pioneer Blvd., Artesia; (562) 865-3003.

Thai, Burmese Chandarette, 13490 Maxella Ave. (Villa Marina Marketplace), Marina del Rey; (310) 301-1004. Golden Triangle, 7011 S. Greenleaf Ave., Whittier; (562) 945-6778. Rodded, 5623 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; (323) 464-9689. Sanamluang Café, 5176 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 660-8006; also 12980 Sherman Way, North Hollywood, (818) 764-1180. Sompun, 4156 Santa Monica Blvd., Silver Lake (323) 669-9906; and 12053 Ventura Place, Studio City, (818) 762-7861.

JapaneseAkane Chaya, 1610 W. Redondo Beach Blvd., Gardena; (310) 768-3939. Spoon House, 1601 W. Redondo Beach Blvd., Gardena; (310) 538-0376. Ramen Asahi Ramen, 2027 Sawtelle Blvd., West L.A.; (310) 479-2231. Atch-Kotch, 1253 N. Vine St., No. 5, Hollywood; (323) 467-5537. Eboshi, 2383 Lomita Blvd., Lomita; (310) 325-6674. Kyushu Ramen, 15355 Sherman Way (in Village Plaza), Van Nuys; (818) 778-6712. Ramen Nippon, 6900 Reseda Blvd., No. D, Reseda; (818) 345-5946. Ramen Ya, 11555 W. Olympic Blvd.; (310) 575-9337. Tampopo, 15462 S. Western (in Tozai Plaza), Gardena, (310) 323-7882; also 21515 S. Western Ave., Torrance, (310) 787-8122; and 3760 Centinela Ave., Mar Vista, (310) 915-0442.

Soba and Udon Kagetsu-an, 318 E. Second St., downtown; (213) 613-1479. Kotohira, 1747 W. Redondo Beach Blvd., Gardena; (310) 323-3966. Mishima, 8474 W. Third St., (323) 782-0181; also 21605 Western Ave., Torrance, (310) 320-2089; 11301 Olympic Blvd., No. 210, (310) 473-5297; and 12265 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, (818) 506-8861. Nishiki, 11651 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles; (310) 477-1551. Otafuku, 16525 S. Western Ave., Gardena; (310) 532-9348. Sanuki No Sato, 18206 Western Ave., Gardena; (310) 324-9185. Taiko, 11677 San Vicente Blvd. (Brentwood Gardens), Brent wood; (310) 207-7782. Ubon, 8530 Beverly Blvd. (Beverly Center); (310) 854-1115. Yabu, 11820 W. Pico Blvd., West L.A., (310) 473-9757; and 521 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, (310) 854-0400.

VietnameseMy Trang, 209 W. Valley Blvd., San Gabriel; (626) 280-8698. Noodle City, 628 W. Valley Blvd., Alhambra; (626) 308-3567. Pho Nguyen Hoang, 401 W. Valley Blvd., San Gabriel; (626) 281-0017. Pho 79, 11 E. Main St., Alhambra; (626) 289-0239. Pho So 1, 7231 Reseda Blvd., Reseda; (818) 996-6515. Pho Vietnam, 18625 Sherman Way, Reseda; (818) 758-9898. Thanh Vi, 9609 Bolsa Ave., Westminister; (714) 531-0285.

Korean Kang Seo Myun Oak, 534 S. Westmoreland Ave., No. 105 (at the corner of Sixth); (213) 382-1717. Kum Da Rae Noodle House, 3831 W. Sixth St.; (213) 386-6554. Olympic Noodle, 4008 W. Olympic Blvd.; (323) 931-0007.

Southeast AsianHainan Chicken Restaurant, 18406 Colima Road, No. B (Hong Kong Plaza), Rowland Heights; (626) 854-0385. Little Malaysia, 3944 N. Peck Road, No. 8, El Monte; (626) 401-3188. Mami King, 22222 S. Main St., No. 106, Carson, (310) 830-3828; also 4321 Sunset Blvd., (323) 668-9288; 14650 Roscoe Blvd., Nos. 1 & 2, Panorama, (818) 891-8581.

HawaiianBruddah’s Hawaiian Foods, 1033 W. Gardena Blvd., Gardena; (310) 323-9112. King’s Hawaiian Bakery and Restaraunt, 2808 W. Sepulveda Blvd., Torrance; (310) 530-0050.

Pan AsianAsia Noodle Café, Glendale Galleria, No. 3233; (818) 240-9401. Menjin International Noodle House, 8393 Beverly Blvd.; (323) 782-0039. Noodle Planet, 1118 Westwood Blvd., Westwood, (310) 208-0777; and 700 W. Valley Blvd., Alhambra, (626) 282-8855. Typhoon, 3221 Donald Douglas Loop S. (Santa Monica Airport); (310) 390-6565. Zen Grill, 8432 W. Third Street, (323) 655-9991; and 14543 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, (818) 461-8444.