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A close friend of mine from Atlanta flew to Los Angeles and wanted to explore L.A.’s food scene. I decided to take her to one of Los Angeles’ popular food locations, Sawtelle Japantown. Located in the West L.A. area is a neighborhood area with a variety of Japanese restaurants and small shops. 

One of the famous Japanese restaurants in the area is called “Tsujita LA Artisan Noodles LA” because it is renowned for serving its dipping-style ramen. We got there around noon, but we saw a large crowd gathered around the restaurant waiting in line to be called inside. We put our names on the waiting list sheet, and it was approximately a one-hour wait until we would be called inside, so we decided to pass the time by going to a matcha shop called “Matcha Village.” We ordered two matcha latte drinks and enjoyed our drinks’ bitter-tasting yet sweet flavor and the calm ambiance of the matcha cafe shop.

By the time we returned to the ramen place, we were called in and seated at our tables. We ordered their best-selling dish, ramen, served with the dipping sauce/soup on the side. It was a unique experience as I had never had ramen served separately with its soup and sauce. 

After finishing our lunch, we decided to go for dessert. Walking around the neighborhood, we found a self-serving/online ordering dessert place called “Millet Crepe.” We both ordered the popular creme brulee and custard crepe. The soft, rolled crepe, sweet custard, and burnt creme brulee were a refreshing take on crepes. 

I definitely recommend food lovers explore Sawtelle Japantown in Los Angeles! There are many delicious Japanese restaurants, bubble tea, matcha cafes, dessert places, and small souvenir stores to explore.

Mira Pratama

MAJOR: Industrial and Systems Engineering YEAR: Class of 2024 HOMETOWN: Jakarta, Indonesia PRONOUNS: she/her/hers I am currently involved in the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE), a student organization focusing on Asians' STEM career development and leadership growth. Outside of Viterbi, I am also involved in the International Student Assembly (ISA), an undergraduate student government assembly that serves the international community at USC.