lunch at bamboo garden Originally uploaded by jadepearli.
at least I think it’s called Bamboo Garden. The only signs on the outside are in Japanese, so I’m really not 100% certain. At any rate, this little place is on Cravens Avenue in Downtown Torrance, and it has the best soba noodles around. Made fresh from scratch, their noodles are soft with a little bit of pushback, not too doughy, and not slimy in the least bit. The kake broth is flavorful but not overpowering, and the smoky fish essence lingers just a little bit in every sip of soup.
I normally shy away from discussing authenticity, because every cuisine is so bastardized that there’s not really an ‘authentic’ anything, but i do think there’s something to be said for eating where the locals eat. I’m almost always the only non-Japanese-speaking person there, and although they do have an English menu, I think there’s only one copy of it in existence. This isn’t a huge point, because the place only seats about 20 people total and you place your order at the counter. There are, however, three copies of the Japanese menu, so eat that! Interior decor is natural and tasteful — no heavy laquers, no cheesy ‘modern Asian’ metallics, just clean, functional, organic-feeling. The place is always overflowing at lunchtime, with Japanese businessmen sitting on the plastic lawn furniture outside, ties thrown over their shoulders, slurping away at their noodles.
Pictured here is a variation on my usual order, the hot kake noodles with a bowl of brine shrimp tempura. i normally get the inari sushi as a side instead, but they ran out that day. I also apologize that this picture doesn’t really do the meal justice because i forgot to snap a picture until about halfway through the meal. (darn.)
Definitely worth trying at least once. Thank you, Masa, for sharing this terrific place with me!