Foo Foo Tei - Hacienda Heights

E; Hidden in Hacienda Heights is a small, unassuming restaurant with an odd-sounding name: Foo Foo Tei. At night, the surrounding area is completely dark, except for this stand alone restaurant. The parking lot is completely full with cars and eager patrons waiting for a table. What's the allure?

E: Ramen. With dozens of different types of ramen -- miso, fried chicken, mapo tofu, vegetable, oyster, mushroom, kimchee -- and a substantial appetizer and side dish menu, Foo Foo Tei is no light weight. We order two massive bowls of ramen and a couple of side dishes.
R: I was very excited to see the menu. It had a broad range of dishes, beyond the expected ramen variations. I could have easily ordered a full meal without even touching the ramen - curry, dry noodles, tempura...so this may be a great place to explore over repeat visits...

I ordered the miso ramen with extra corn. And when they say extra corn - they mean business. I think the bowl had tooooo much corn. Had I known they'd go overboard, I wouldn't have ordered extra.

Given the choice, I generally go for a miso base initially. So this seemed like a nice, basic order as an introduction. When the bowl came, it looked pretty darn good. When I first started tasting the broth, however, I was underwhelmed by the flavor. I didn't think the miso flavor stood out. It was more generic. I really liked the noodles, which were an interesting yellowish color. It took a while, but as I dug deeper, and mixed it up, the flavors started coming out. I wound up enjoying the overall flavor of the soup. I would be happy with just noodles in broth, so all the extras - bamboo and bean sprouts especially - I could do without. But again, the noodles were very good and the broth grew on me. Not a home run, but I would be willing to step up to the plate again and try other things here.

E: I ordered the Yasai ramen with shio (salt) broth. It's filled with different types of vegetables and at least four types of mushrooms. The broth is thick and hot. The vegetables look fresh and inviting. There's a generous portion of yellow curly ramen noodles, smelling strongly of egg. At first the broth is unimpressive. It lacks complexity and depth of flavor, and isn't as sweet as other shio broths I've had. The noodles are a little soft for my liking, but the vegetables are perfectly cooked. Part way through the bowl, the soup's flavors begin to deepen and all the wonderful savory flavors emerge. All of the sudden, I taste the fresh vegetables, soup base and the flavor of noodles. Perhaps all the flavor sank to the bottom? Or it needed to cool a little so my tastebuds could fully appreciate it.
R: What's the most important part of oyako don: the chicken? the egg? For me, it's all about the sauce. I like to dig underneath the layer of chicken and egg and taste the rice, which should be soaking up the saucy goodness. And I wasn't disappointed. The sauce had great flavor, and the fact that the chicken was nicely cooked was an added bonus. Overall, the dish was good.
Foo Foo Tei
15018 Clark Ave
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745