The Tsujita team has done it again. Killer Noodle is a new concept created by the popular Tsujita LA restaurant group. Killer Noodle is the fifth Tsujita restaurant to open in Los Angeles and is located on the same street as Tsujita's Annex and the original Tsujita restaurant. This new establishment is based on the idea of tantanmen, which is a spicy ramen adapted from the classic Sichuan dish dan dan mian.
As you enter Killer Noodle, you are hit with a wave of red from the color on the walls to the eccentric crimson chandelier. A huge rack lined with jars of dried chilies and spices looms over the bar. The seating seems to be triple that of Annex, the original Tsujita location, which gives me some relief that the wait won't be the usual hour.
Killer Noodle offers only three types of ramen. You can order with soup, which is paired with thinner noodles, or without soup which will have the thicker noodles that are familiar to fans of tsukemen. The three ramen types are Tokyo, which is sesame based, Downtown, which has a vinegar flavor, and Original, which is simpler with a combination of garlic and black pepper.
As diverse as the menu list, there is a spice level chart ranging from 0 Killer Spice to 6 Killer spice which I hear brain-meltingly hot. Killer Noodle recommends starting at 3 for the full killer experience. I chickened out and got level 2, which I am slightly ashamed to admit.
There are two different spices you can change. Ma is the numbing spice which comes from the prickly ash herb. La is the spiciness which comes from cayenne pepper. You can adjust the ma and la separately if you prefer the noodles to be more numbing than spicy and vice versa.
All dishes come with the potential add-ons of a poached egg, cilantro, and soft, fatty, roasted pork. I ordered Downtown style without soup and added an egg because a creamy poached egg with the chili oil-laden noodles sounded like pure heaven.
The waiters at the other Tsujita restaurant usually serve your beverages, but here there are pitchers of water at every table. I see this as an ominous sign that the noodles may be spicier than I imagined.
I received my plate of noodles after a short wait and can say I have yet to see a dish look so appetizing.
The first step is to crack the poached egg into your dish. Then, mix and devour. The crispy pork with the chewy noodles makes for such a perfect bite. I am a chili oil fanatic and this dish delivered. I thought level 2 would be spicy but I think I could have done 3 or 4. Overall, this noodle experience is one of my most memorable throughout all of Los Angeles.
If you are in the Santa Monica or Culver City area, you need to stop what you are doing and head over to Killer Noodle. They offer dishes which aren't usually seen in the mainstream food scene. If you are a fan of spicy food, you will really enjoy this restaurant.
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