>> ่Œœ่Œถๅฑ‹ Akane Chaya | Eat the World Los Angeles

Monday 6 February 2023

่Œœ่Œถๅฑ‹ Akane Chaya

Redondo Beach Blvd. facade

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต JAPAN
๐Ÿ“ 1610 W. Redondo Beach Blvd., Gardena, South Bay
๐Ÿ…ฟ️ Large parking lot for plaza
๐Ÿฅค Draft and bottled beer, wine, sake

It almost appears at first like two separate storefronts, but the "Spaghetti & YOSHOKU" in large letters belong to Akane Chaya and describe succinctly why most people are eating there. Mobbed during weekday lunches by people who work nearby in the many Japanese businesses of Gardena and Torrance, this is the best time to come for the full experience and popularity of western-influenced Japanese cuisine known as yoshoku (ๆด‹้ฃŸ, or literally "western food").

Akane Chaya opens at 11:30 for lunch, and often people are waiting to get in to be the first to receive the restaurant's wonderful combo plates (and free iced tea before noon). No matter how busy its tables and kitchen are during lunchtime hours, the jazz piano standards playing over the restaurant's sound system will calm your mood and transport you into a lounge or a film with a very good soundtrack.

The largest table is used for individual diners when there are no large groups

Silverware for each diner, including ribbed fork for easy pasta twirling

Yoshoku is a catch-all term that includes a wide range of foods in Japan. The history of its development goes back to the latter half of the 1800's when Japan started opening itself to the rest of the world after ending long-running policies of exclusion. To this day the country continues to improve upon some of the most beloved products from around the world, from Scotch whisky to Neapolitan pizza. With the recent closing of nearby N Cafe, one of the city's strongest Yoshoku purveyors, a new place for Japanese spaghetti was necessary.

Thankfully the Los Angeles area is blessed with quite a few options due to the breadth of Japanese culture that runs many generations. The demands of this community lead to a great amount of what you can find in Japan also being available here in town. Akane Chaya has been open since 1991 and specializes in that beloved spaghetti and all its many forms, but also Hamburg steaks and curry.

Combo items served before the main plate including salad, soup, and bread

If you come with a big enough appetite, the best way to first experience Akane Chaya is through one of their enormous "super" combos, which add a plate of Japanese-style curry and white rice to already large portions of spaghetti, Hamburg steak, and pork cutlet. Any combo comes with a crisp green salad, hot soup of the day, and a freshly baked bread roll, making it plenty of food for two although it does not seem like anyone is sharing their delicious meals here.

All combos include one of the restaurant's many choices for spaghetti combined with either a portion of Hamburg steak or fried pork cutlet. The "A" SUPER Combo ($23.60, below) seen below includes the steak and the Akane-style tarako (cod roe) spaghetti. While the seafood, clam, and meat varieties of spaghetti are all enjoyable, the tarako is maybe the most special and a must try if you have not yet.

"A" SUPER Combo with spaghetti, Hamburg steak, and curry

The squid and mushroom tarako pasta that Akane Chaya puts at the top of their list is a great start, also with hints of parsley, garlic, red chili pepper, and olive oil. Thin slices of squid and white and king mushrooms make a good texture complement with spaghetti, while the cod roe coats everything with the signature taste.

A perfectly cooked egg-shaped Hamburg steak is covered with the restaurant's signature demi-glace brown sauce and makes the second component of the combo plate, alongside a full garden of greens covered a citrus-y dressing. The super combo upgrade of the curry plate can be seen in the background above, and is as comforting as you can find around town.

Tarako kinoko ika pasta

The tarako kinoko ika ($14.50, above and below), like all pasta varieties, can also be ordered on its own and comes with a small bowl of salad and fresh roll. The more traditional version of this cod roe, squid, and mushroom pasta can come in either a salt or soy sauce base, and comes covered with a nice addition of finely chopped seaweed.

Akane Chaya is the type of place that could easily become a lunch or dinner option that you find yourself in at least once a week, and by the look of things at other tables, that is indeed the case as most customers already know their order without looking at the menu. It can be very busy at times but the whole operation is so well cared for by its staff that you never feel put off even when there is a bit of a wait. And while you clean your plates and feel like you can no longer move, it will all seem worth it.

Pasta on a fork

๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต

I COULD USE YOUR HELP
Eat the World Los Angeles is and always has been free. It is a hobby born of passion and never solicits money or free food from restaurants. No advertisements block the content or pop over what you read. If this website has helped you explore your city and its wonderful cultures a little better please tell your friends about us and if you have the means to contribute, please consider doing so. Eat the World Los Angeles is a labor of love, but also takes a lot of money and time everyday to keep running.

Thank you!
VENMO: @JAREDCOHEE
CASH APP: $JaredCohee
PAYPAL: (no account necessary, use link)

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.