What Makes Us Unique

Kitchen image of RAKKAN RAMEN, soy sauce sauce is poured into the ramen bowl.
photo of taking stock from vegetables

RAKKAN Ramen’s story begins in 2011 as a small, four-seater ramen bar in Tokyo. In 2017, our passion to spread authentic Japanese ramen to the world opened our first overseas location in Los Angeles, CA. RAKKAN is the focused ramen shop serves authentic Japanese ramen. Our broth amp up the flavor with a dashi bomb.

What is Dashi?

Dashi is a traditional Japanese soup stock that is full of Umami, which brings out the best in each ingredient.

We believe that Umami is crucial essense for Japanese Ramen.

Amp up the flavor with a dashi bomb, we slowly simmer the carefully chosen vegetables such as kombu to extract its rich flavors and lock in Umami. We don’t use meat nor seafood in our broth, making our stock 100% plant-based. However, customers still get the rich, thick flavor in the soup that bowls like Tonkotsu broth exerts.

Slurp it down!

The combination of our tasty Japanese broth and silky slim noodles will allow you to discover another level of pleasure in your palate.

Flavor You Crave, Wellness You Deserve

MISSION

At RAKKAN Ramen, we craft innovative authentic Japanese ramen—100% plant-based broths that delight the palate and nurture the body. We bring a healthier, flavorful ramen experience to those who value both taste and wellness, serving communities across the globe. Our mission is to offer a satisfying bowl of ramen that leaves you energized and content, providing a delicious alternative that doesn’t compromise on health or taste.

VISION

To transform the global ramen experience by championing plant-based innovation, fostering a culture of wellness, and making delicious, nutritious ramen accessible to everyone. We aspire to lead the way in redefining comfort food, ensuring that every bowl we serve promotes a healthier lifestyle and brings joy to our diverse and vibrant communities worldwide.

VALUES

  1. Authenticity: We honor traditional Japanese ramen by combining authentic flavors with innovative, plant-based broths.
  2. Health: Our dedication to wellness ensures that our ramen is both delicious and nourishing, making healthy choices easy and enjoyable.
  3. Inclusivity: We cater to all dietary preferences, from savory meat lovers to dedicated vegans, ensuring everyone can enjoy our ramen.
  4. Sustainability: We prioritize eco-friendly practices in sourcing and production to reduce our environmental impact and support a healthier planet.
  5. Community: We build connections through shared meals, fostering a warm and welcoming environment where customers and employees alike can thrive and feel valued.

UMAMI

Food image of RAKKAN RAMEN, ramen, crispy chicken and gyoza

What is Umami?

There are five basic elements of taste.

Since its discovery by Kikunae Ikeda in 1908, scientists have debated on whether Umami is the sixth element to the sense of taste. In 1985, Umami was accepted as a term that defines the flavors of glutamates and nucleotides by the first Umami International Symposium in Hawaii. Umami is activated by the tasting the amino acid of L-glutamate and 5′-ribonucleotides such as guanosines and inosinates.

Five Basic Tastes

Umami has now been added to the five basic tastes

(sweet, sour, bitter, and salty).

Drawing of five basic tastes

Changing the world's cuisine through RAKKAN Ramen

Image photo of soy sauce
Image photo of salt
Image photo of miso

In Japan’s culinary world, Umami is one of the most important elements in terms of senses. Umami is the feeling that arises when eating foods like fermented seasonings, which are essentials to Japanese dishes. This ingredient can be found in many kinds of condiments and seasonings in Japan, from soy sauce to miso, sake to mirin (sweet rice wine). The koji grows best in Japan’s warm, humid climate and are taken care of by expert Japanese farmers. Making koji involves rice, wheat, and soybeans. After steaming these ingredients together, they are fermented until a fungal filament starts to form and continue to sprout through reproduction. Aspergillus oryzae generate enzymes that help to enrich the amino acids and vitamins in koji during fermentation. Fermented seasoning is not only used for its Umami burst but also can be easy to digest and beneficial to its consumer’s health.

Compared to other countries like the US, obesity rates in Japan are pretty low. Researchers believe that the root is Japan’s long-term consumption of fermented seasoning. Japanese fermented ingredients contain amino acids such as glutamine and histidine, which may reduce the likelihood of obesity. Other seasonings like miso also have various health benefits. Miso has numerous amino acids, lactic acids, and vitamins that result from the fermentation process. These components better regulation of intestine functioning, reduce blood pressure, brightens the skin, and reduces the risk of life-threatening diseases and obesity.

RAKKAN’s Umami Broth

Illustration of one of umami, konbu

Kombu (Kelp) Dashi

Ingredient: Glutamate

Illustration of one of ingredients, onion

Onion

Ingredient: Quercetin

Illustration of one of umami, donko

Donko (Shiitake Mushrooms)

Ingredient: Inosinate

Illustration of one of ingredients, ginger

Ginger

Ingredient: Gingerol

Illustration of one of ingredients, Carrot

Carrot

Ingredient: Carotene

Illustration of one of ingredients, garlic

Garlic

Ingredient: Allicin

RAKKAN Ramen for a healthy life

Food image of RAKKAN RAMEN, bird view group photo of foods and food materials

RAKKAN does not use any fatty, high-calorie, meat-based broths like tonkotsu. Rather, our soups are created from high-quality vegetables like mushrooms and seaweed as well as RAKKAN’s very own fermented seasoning, enhancing the soup’s flavor bomb. According to researchers, our ramen holds 40% less calories compared to those in typical tonkotsu ramen. We will continue to serve our customers the healthiest, tastiest ramen experience.