Men Oh Tokushima ramen shop to debut in Torrance with opening-day $1 noodles

Men Oh Tokushima is bringing its pork-on-pork ramen to the South Bay. The Japanese chain of Tokushima-style ramen shops is set to open next week in Torrance, and it plans to celebrate its grand opening with $1 bowls of noodles for the first 200 customers at lunch on Feb. 22, starting at 11:30 a.m.

Located in the Nijiya Market plaza, this will be Men Oh Tokushima’s fourth U.S. restaurant, following San Francisco, Union City, Calif., and downtown’s Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo (in the Honda Village strip mall across from Sushi Gen).

Tokushima on the island of Shikoku is known for, besides its indigo dye and strawberries, the ham-processing company that eventually established the Nippon-Ham Fighters professional baseball team. Pork products are kind of a big deal in Tokushima.

So a bowl of Tokushima ramen, usually made with a shoyu-seasoned tonkotsu (pork bone) broth, is going to feature pork. At Men Oh Tokushima, the toppings include both chashu (roast pork) and butabara (stir-fried pork belly). Other Tokushima-style ramen might include marinated baraniku (pork rib meat).

On opening day, Men Oh Tokushima will be offering only its signature Tokushima ramen (normally priced at $8.95), but will shortly afterward introduce chicken paitan ramen ($7.95). Paitan, like tonkotsu, is a milky broth, made with chicken bones or a combination of both chicken and pork bones (the ramen style that put Totto Ramen in New York on the map).

Also on the Men Oh Tokushima menu will be karaage chicken, gyoza, chashu rice bowl, Tokushima rice bowl (with both chashu and butabara). Its beer selection will include Sapporo Draft, Sapporo Light and Asahi Super Dry.

Its hours are: Tuesday to Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 10 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 to 11 p.m., Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; closed Monday.

2141 W. 182nd St., Torrance, www.menohusa.com.

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