UYE – Tatsu Ramen/Melrose by Cydney M

Awesome event on a nice Saturday afternoon with Cydney and friends,
It was easy as 1,2,3. You walked in, and order what you want from their wall mounted Ipad/​tablet, you pay, and you seat and wait for your order to come out.
Thank you Cydney for getting us the little extras to try. Because of this I got to try their red rice! It was so darn delicious!
It was great to see all the Unilocalers, and since I don’t get to go to Unilocal events that much anymore, intimate events like this always brings a happy face on me. Got to See Katie B. too!!! :-)

This was totally a fun UYE and we have Cydney M. to thank for it!
It was great to be able to eat ramen again as it’s been a while for me. This place is quite the trendy little place to dine in located on Melrose in L.A. I guess they have another location in Little Osaka on the Westside and this is their second location.
I like the concept of ordering from the iPad-​like tablets picking your broth, noodles and extra ingredients that you would want for your bowl. One of the workers was really helpful in showing me each step and explaining how it all worked which I appreciated. He also was very constructive in describing what he thought were the great flavors and pointed me towards the Hippie Broth which was really a vegetable broth. Ramen is typically made with pork broth and I know there are also chicken broths now, but a veggie broth was something I hadn’t had so I was willing to try it. I also ordered a side bowl of the marinated beef bowl which was marinated ground beef over white rice with corn niblets on the side.
My side bowl of marinated beef came out first and I tell you, this was so good! I loved the slightly sweet flavor of the ground beef and confess that I just had to finish the whole bowl, it was that good. (⁵⁄₅)
Thanks to Cydney’s generosity, she also ordered a Chahan fried rice side and I thought it wasn’t too bad either (⁴⁄₅). There was also a Pork Bun sandwich as well as a Chasu Rice bowl that I was able to sample sitting on the table so thanks to whomever ordered that. I thought the Chasu Rice bowl (³⁄₅) with the shredded pork over rice was just alright with its slightly salty flavor and wasn’t anything extraordinary. The Pork Bun sandwich, on the other hand, was absolutely delicious! (⁵⁄₅).
Once the ramen came out, I was somewhat already full from sampling all the various sides but the bowl looked really appetizing. They provide cloves of garlic on the table with a garlic masher so I added some of that in my bowl too. Man, my ramen was really good! I actually enjoyed the veggie broth and would order this again actually. It was lighter so it wasn’t overpowering in flavor and complemented all the ingredients of the bowl for a great balance of flavors.
All the servers were friendly and attentive and everyone just had an awesome time!
Thanks to Cydney M. for putting this together as I enjoyed myself immensely and it seemed everyone else did too! Tatsu Ramen is a great place to have ramen and I look forward to returning again very soon!

Would you like to come to a ramen UYE? Would you be available on…
You don’t have to ask me twice. A huge group of 20 some Unilocalers in one place. How could you fit that many people in a ramen place? There is plenty of elbow space but you’re rubbing elbows with Cydney and fellow Unilocalers. Ordering was the easy part. Eating is a whole nuther ball game. Picture this, I order Soul Ramen bowl, pork bun sandwich, Cydney starts dropping fried rice bowls, pork fried rice, another pork bun sandwich, more fried rice, how many people are at this end of the table? It just didn’t stop coming…
Meeting a few new Unilocalers and chatting with a few familiar ones definitely made the afternoon go by quick. Seems like everything worked like clockwork. You order at the front at the iPads, pay for your stuff, sit down, eat, talk, drink, eat, drink, talk, eat… I was definitely content with so much food in front of me. Neil even offered me the noodles he ordered as extra. I had my eyes set on that pork bun sitting there so juicy, calling my name… oh, that was just someone across the table getting my attention to pass the garlic. Pressing fresh garlic into the ramen was no joke when I take 6 little bulbs and squeeze. I probably needed to pass out mints to my neighbors just for sitting next to me.
Of course, me being such a pig, I was still eating while the majority of the group was taking pictures outside. I guess I had to stop at some point and let other customers take the table as everyone in our party was finished. You don’t have to ask for water or soda refills. They know you wanted another one. I was tempted to ask for ramen refill but I shall wait for another trip back to enjoy once again.
Thank you Cydney for a wonderful lunch with a group of fantastic Unilocalers.

I really hope this is the first of many UYEs for Cydney M because she knows how to pick ‘em and host ‘em!
Thank you Cydney for putting this event together! I can’t believe she was able to reserve the three largest community tables for us. Super-​Yelper-​in-​the-​making? I think so!
I wouldn’t have made the trek to this new location on my own, so it was a good excuse for me to try this place with my beautiful Unilocaly friends! Parking in the back was $ 3.50 (I didn’t even bother looking for street parking since I was running so late!)
The best part out of this whole experience is that the owner, Ryu, was there to chat it up with us and share all the fun little details about this ramen joint. Did you know the cartoon on the to-​go bag is about him? I wouldn’t have known that!
Now, I’m hooked! I’ve got to to go back to try their signature ramen (hippie and chicken) that aren’t available at their original location on Sawtelle.

What a terrific UYE!
First and foremost, Many thanks to Cydney M. for organizing this event and to Tatsu Ramen for the hospitality. It truly was a «noodle-​licious» event!
Tatsu Ramen is quite a cool spot, located along Melrose Avenue, the place was the perfect venue for the Ramen loving Unilocalers! — I am so glad that I was able to spend my mid-​afternoon with a bowl of awesome Ramen, and mingle with some very cool fellow Unilocalers! (Our table — Holla! Richard M., Antho L., Tim C., Jeff B., Cathy M. & Katie B.!) *Waves to all I remember — Wan, Nitar & Jenn*
Ordering, Service and the «Noodl’ing» was quite interactive from start to finish!
Step one: Look for the ipads, select your meal & order
Step two: Find a seat, get your tickets handy and wait for your order
Step three: Eat, slurp and repeat… until you see the little comic strip bubbles appearing on the side of the bowl. and, eat, slurp and repeat until you reach the bottom!
…Makes reading while eating more interesting isn’t? *grin*
Overall, I would definitely come back to Tatsu. Thanks to this UYE, I was able to experience and have a first good impression of this place! Definitely worth passing the good word around.
Thanks again Cydney for organizing this UYE… Fantastic!
Until next time!

This rating is for my awesome Unilocal friends and Tatsu Ramen!
Thank you so much to everyone who attended! I really appreciate you taking time out of your busy Labor Day weekend to come check out this new place for ramen on August 30, 2014.
I wish I could have invited all my local Unilocal friends to this event, but most people know ramen restaurants are known for lots of seating and I didn’t want to hog the whole restaurant. If I plan another one I will try to include more friends the next time. One great thing about this restaurant is the fact that they have a few large communal tables. There is one big one that seats 10 and two others that seat 8. There is also a counter by the chefs that seats about 8 or so I think.
Thank you so much to Ryu, the owner, who made sure everyone was taken care of. They reserved three large tables for our group which I really appreciated. Ryu is so hands on with his newest restaurant which is a big reason why his businesses are so successful. Russell and the rest of the staff were awesome and very attentive as well. The whole staff did an amazing job with our large group. It seems like such a well oiled machine for such a new restaurant.
Thank you so much for checking this place out and I really appreciate your kind words. I really hope you liked Tatsu Ramen as much as I do.

(Dined 08÷30÷14 SA @ 11:00am): Ramen — it’s not just for poor starving college students anymore!
I ate both ramen and saimin growing up, so I also enjoyed these two dishes… but certainly not to the fervored ranks that they (mostly ramen) commanded these days. Having said that, I was excited to attend the UYE — Tatsu Ramen/​Melrose by Cydney M gathering simply because I wanted to hang with fellow Unilocalers. Plus, I was always down to try a new place; and boy was this a winner! On with the grubbing!
Bold Ramen ($ 10.00) — As a first-​timer here, I went for their most popular ramen… and I wasn’t disappointed! Lovingly made with homemade Tonkotsu broth with 11 bold ingredients (what were they!?), served with a seasoned soft-​boiled egg and slices of pork (chicken and tofu also available). I went crazy with the «Whoa, that’s hot!» spiciness (three-​chili pepper level), «Garlic’s #1 fan» (all-​in!), and «Incredible Hulk» level of green onions; yeah, I think I cleared them out! Once I got my trough of broth goodness, I decided to add a couple more cloves of garlic; stay away, vampires! I also ordered a complimentary side of sweet corn which I dumped in. There was mass amounts of thin noodles, sliced pork and soothing broth, as I got to the bottom the spiciness intensified as it appeared to collect there. In my belly it all went with a huge happy face and a surprise message on the bowl (
)!
Side of Chashu Rice (comped — $ 4.00 regular) — A mound of steamed white rice was covered with delicate, tender and flavorful bits of pork and a mountain of green onions. This was fucking yummy!
Side of Red Rice (comped — $ 4.00 regular) — The vibrant colors of yellow sweet corn, green onions and «red» meat all atop a ball of steamed white rice was a kaleidoscope of flavor.
Side of Fried Rice (comped — $ 4.00 regular) — This was simple but tasty nonetheless, with seasoned rice, fresh ginger (I LOVED ginger!), green onions and shredded seaweed.
Ramune ($ 2.50) — I loved this sugary carbonated bubble-​gum flavored drink. Not because of the taste, but mainly because of how you opened the bottle — a plastic piece was used to poke a glass ball through the top.
Service — I was greeted by a young man at the door who gave me the rundown of the place. You placed your order at one of the three iPads on a wall, swiped your credit card and took your receipt to the table. A troop of black-​clad servers bobbed in-​and-​out as they delivered food, drinks, side dishes and cleared away empty bowls. They also filled our water glasses almost religiously. Everyone (which included the owner) was extremely friendly and truly appreciated us all. Great job!
Parking ($ 2.00÷2 hours) — Although I opted for a meter across the street, they shared extremely small free parking lots in front and back with a handful of other businesses. There were also nearby street parking with 1-​hour limits.
Atmosphere, décor, ambience — The entrance way and order wall were kind of tight, and once you went out into the dining area that too, was a bit crammed with a mixture of IKEA-​esque tables, stools and chairs in a communal setting. A very clean interior with its stark uncluttered white walls, an artsy angular yellow ceiling and some deep red chairs that broke up the calmness. Through a sliding door was a small covered outdoor patio with a few places to sit. I saw one TV but didn’t notice any background music (we were all chatting).
Attire — Totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-​shirt, boardshorts, and flip-​flops.
Overall, I felt the UYE — Tatsu Ramen/​Melrose by Cydney M was a rousing success! Mad props to Unilocal Elite Cydney M who organized the shindig and everyone at Tatsu Ramen who gladly welcomed this large group and were every bit accomodating and professional. The concept, food and service was fabulous! I found total value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (total paid experience was around $ 16.00 before tip). I’m no ramen snob but it tasted damn good to me, and at 10:30pm right now I still haven’t eaten anything since! And, they accepted my credit card of choice… AMEX! 5.0 STARS

Look what I found. First one to review for todays event! It will be glorious day! Thanks for setting this event up Cydney M! :)
About a month ago (7÷30÷14), Cydney had a vision that this place would be the location of her very first UYE. Fast forward to present time (8÷30÷14), her vision became fuition and Cydney M became a UYE extraordinaire! It isn’t easy to set up a UYE, but she made it seem sooo effortless! Everything was the planned to a T and who doesn’t love her warm personality and smile???
* Parking: Parking was a bit stressful due to residential signs that say 1 hour parking. They also have a valet service in the back of the restaurant that is good for an hr with validation. Due to paranoia my state, I moved my car to another spot along the street so than I don’t risk getting a ticket.
* Service: Loved the service! When we got into the restaurant the staffers greeted us with their warm smiles and went over the 411 on the must haves at this restaurant. They also had self ordering animated touch screen IPAD displays to take your order. My inner nerd wanted to play with them, but there was a long line in back of me. No worries… I’l come back and play with you at another time. The waiters were always present. They were standing around like hawks ready to meet our needs.
* Food: Ordered the Bold ramen with a lot of garlic, a little more kick spice, the pork for the protein. Loved every single bite and slurp of it! The broth was amazing and oh soo creamy and yes it was a bit salty… at least I had my trusty water cup by my side! The pork was very tender and the egg was sooo goood! I actually took my time and enjoyed this bowl of ramen instead of stuffing my face like how I usually do. Noodles had a nice texture to it. Wasn’t too firm nor too soft. It was just right!
* Other notable food: There were three other types of rice bowls that were dispersed at other tables around us. I ended up making a concoction of ingredients that made my bowl awesome. I even used the left over broth my bowl and poured it into it and added more garlic. Loved the garlic presser also! Wished Ramen Yukinoya can get the same presser they have. It wa much easier to use compared to Yukinoya! :)
Would definitely come back to try the others on my own time. I would also like to thank Cydney for hosting this event. I had a lot of fun hanging out with fellow Unilocalers! :)

=THE UYE CREATOR=
Someone asked Cydney if she creates UYEs often and she said that this was her first event. FIRST?! It definitely didn’t seem like it! It seemed like Cydney was a pro! She chose a delicious ramen spot (that coincidentally I had REALLY wanted to try), and had everything planned just right! She also welcomed us with open arms and a HUGE friendly smile on her face!
=THE LINE=
While waiting in line to order from one of the three iPads on the wall, we were given a quick, yet informative, run-​down of the ramen on the menu by a super friendly staff member. At first I thought the line was really long, but it moved SO quickly and it gave me an adequate amount of time to decide on my meal (I usually flip-​flop back and forth).
=THE IPADS=
When we got to the iPads, I quickly picked the ramen I wanted, then did a quick browse through the extra toppings/​rice/​drinks (only selecting water). There was absolutely nothing complicated about it! I slid my card through the reader and BOOM! Grabbed receipt, found a seat and waited.
=THE FOOD & SERVICE=
I ordered the Bold Ramen with just right garlic, 3 chili level (should’ve settled for the 4 chili level), just right onions and just right everything else. The ramen, which came out quickly, had a nice and thick broth… almost like sauce! The noodle was prepared with a perfect consistency! The meat was tender and the egg was perfectly soft-​boiled. The thick broth was packed-​full of flavor and a little salty (but the wonderful staff member warned me about that already) it was still so delicious! There are garlic presses with garlic cloves in case you realize that your ramen isn’t garlic flavored enough. There’s also a tub of seaweed! Boyfriend LOOOOVED that! I hardly see ramen restaurants with that as an option! So great!
We had a few bowls of rice delivered to our table as well. Our favorite was the Fried Rice. The other bowls were good, but since they were only items on top of white rice, it didn’t seem as good as the fried rice bowl. The service was top notch! They were always refilling our cups and helping us out with our to-​go orders (too much food!)
=FINAL VERDICT=
A HUGE thank you to Tatsu Ramen for your wonderful ramen and service, and to Cydney for putting this all together!!! Because of this event, I’m DEFINITELY going to make it back here one day soon! After all, they’ve got about 5 other ramen that I have yet to order!
I had such a great time with friends, old and new! This is why I love Unilocal so much… new experiences, wonderful new friendships are made, and getting to share experiences with those you love.

CYDNEY M!!! YOU KNOW HOW TO THROW AT UYE!!!
OMGoodness!!! I don’t know if I can even put into words how great this event was. The food, the company, and the staff all off the charts. What a fab experience.
Ok, so we showed up just shy of opening time, 11:00 a.m. Congregating just inside the door, where Cyd gave us a lesson in the art of ordering Tatsu Ramen.
1. Choose one of the six different types of ramen from the menu board
2. Step over to the ordering ipads.
3. Using the touchscreen, choose your ramen. Click Next
4. Choose any extras for a nominal fee, such as a rice dish, pork, chicken, seaweed, corn, etc… Click Next
5. Choose your beverage. Click Next
6. Check out by swiping your credit card.
7. Wait for the receipt to spit out.
8. Take your receipt and find a place to sit.
9. Food is served in a timely manner.
10. Most importantly, ENJOY!!! Oh, and there are garlic bulblets in the little black boxes and garlic pressers for your use, if you so choose to press.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m a bit high maintenance, I wanted the Soul Ramen, for the black garlic oil, but I didn’t want the ground beef. The owner said that he would prepare it the way I wanted. That was easy. I also ordered the Juicy Pork Bun. Yep, my eyes were definitely bigger than my tummy. I didn’t even get a chance to taste the pork bun. Oh well, that’s was togo containers and bags are for and let me tell you, Tatsu provides top notch containers and bags.
This was a great time had by all, fellow Unilocalers as well non-​Yelpers. We even had the honor of dining with Katie B. and Nitar L. Doesn’t get much better than that!
Tatsu Ramen is by far the best Ramen I’ve had in this lifetime and I will definitely be coming back.
Many thanks to the owner and staff of Tatsu for letting us take over the venue, and for being so friendly and helpful. You guys rock!!! Hugs and love to Cyd for the invite and setting this most enjoyable event up for us all.