A new year means new places to try and boy am I glad I tried Marugame! Plopped right out of Little Tokyo in Los Angeles and onto Spring Mountain! It's in the same complex as Pho Kim Long for those that need that as a reference!
I stopped by for lunch with some friends on afternoon and happy to report that I left wanting to return again. The restaurant itself isn't that large but very clean. The service is great. The workers were very attentive and helpful when it came to explaining their menu when our group said we have never been before.
I tried the fried chicken (karaage) for an appetizer and thought it was only okay. Now the shining star of their menu is their uni cream udon. My oh my. One of the more memorable things I've eaten in the past few months. It was quite delicious. Very creamy and hearty. YUMMM! There's pieces of uni scattered in the dish. You can pay an extra $5 for extra uni but that would be quite expensive considering the udon itself is already $17. But the portion size is quite generous and I left feeling happy and full.
So yes to the uni cream udon! I also tried my friend's miso carbonara which was also tasty.
The parking can be hit or miss in this plaza so beware. Also they close after lunch at 2:30 and reopen for dinner so just make sure you check the times before heading out there!