The newly opened J San Ramen is a Japanese restaurant in Fullerton offering good food at a reasonable price.
The restaurant has seven different ramen options to choose from, with extra toppings available. Besides ramen, there is also a selection of rice bowls such as the Spicy Beef Rice Bowl or the Kara Age Bowl. It also has a wide variety of yummy side dishes such as the Gyoza or the Fried Baby Octopus. Everything on the menu, save for a few of the alcoholic options, is under $15 making this restaurant incredibly budget-friendly.
One of J San Ramen’s more popular dishes, the Tonkotsu Spicy Miso ramen, consisted of firm noodles with a subtly salty and meaty broth that didn’t overpower the toppings. The meat topping, chashu (or braised pork belly), was tender, fatty and melted in the mouth. The veggie toppings of green onion, bean sprouts, wakame seaweed and corn added a nice texture to the ramen and helped cut some of the oiliness. The portion size was enough to feed two people and totally worth it at $12.95.
The Curry Combo consisted of a serving of rice, two shrimp tempura, a potato croquette, katsu and curry. For those unfamiliar, Japanese curry is nothing like Indian curry as it doesn’t utilize as many spices, offering a flavor that is more understated and sweet. The curry tasted of mildly sweet meat and veggies, reminiscent of the kind of curry you can find at any Asian market, but yummy nonetheless.
This combo’s shrimp tempura was crunchy and satisfying. The potato croquette was a bit bland, but the texture was nice with a crispy outside and a soft inside. The katsu was the highlight of the combo, with the tender pork meat in perfect harmony with a wonderfully crunchy coating. Overall, the portion size was satisfying and is worth the $13.95 price point.
The Potato Shrimp consisted of pieces of shrimp wrapped in potato and deep-fried, mimicking a tornado potato. The potato had a nice crunch to it but wasn’t dry at all. The shrimp inside was juicy and paired well with the chili sauce on the side. With six per serving at $7, it’s a must-have.
J San Ramen offers a wide variety of drinks from classic sodas like Pepsi to iced green tea and Calpico. It offers the original flavor of Ramune, a Japanese soft drink that is lemon-lime flavored. Drinks range from $1.50 to $3 which isn’t an unreasonable markup. The alcohol selection is also decently varied, including draft beers, bottled beer, soju and sake.
Overall, the meal was enjoyable and the prices were fair. J San Ramen is a great choice for someone looking to fulfill a craving for Japanese food on a budget.
Regarding COVID-19 regulations, customers were required to wear masks before entering and employees were wearing masks as well.
J San Ramen, located at 1309 S Harbor Blvd, is open every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and is currently offering dine-in, takeout and delivery.
