Kimberly L.
Yelp
[Review #792]
2023-079
Food Order:
UDON CARBONARA (with bacon & mushroom), AGEDASHI TOFU (fried tofu in seasoning soup)
Ojiya is located in Towne Centre Plaza near the busy intersection of Hawthorne & Torrance Blvds. The restaurant has a familiar feel that I might have dined here years ago when I worked at TMS.
I had a carbonara craving, Ojiya popped up in my search. Interesting... since it's a Japanese restaurant; instead of pasta, it's replaced with udon & the sauce sticks to the noodles rather well. The flavors are all there; however, it would have been a better plate if the udon water was drained better because the last few bites was slightly diluted. Although the udon doesn't have the absorption like spaghetti, it has a good QQ chew & perfectly cooked. While the agedashi tofu was delish dipped in tentsuyu (seasoning broth), its crisp shell was dampened by the condensation. I really loved the tofu's silky texture.
Towne Centre Plaza has plenty of parking, but they're also home to several restaurants so lunch & dinner rush may impact availability. And multi-lanes Hawthorne Blvd. doesn't have street parking. The dining room is somewhat small, but they have a makeshift patio for outdoor dining.
Ojiya has a loaded menu of straight-forward Japanese dishes: appetizers, salads, sushi, sashimi, meat & fried dishes, noodles & porridge, onigiri, rice & rice meals, even a kids meal (for the 10 YO & younger set) with moderate price points. Its style is more of an izakaya (居酒屋, which means "stay-drink-place"). From the looks of the diners & their orders, this definitely looks like a spot to grab a drink, settle in, & get comfortable. Service was excellent: polite, friendly, & efficient. My order was packaged neatly, with the broth of the agedashi tofu packed separately. Both dishes were quite warm by the time I drove back to the office.
Great little gem of a place in my 'hood... will definitely be back!
Recommended: Udon Carbonara (if you're a carbonara fan, you'll love this variation) & Agedashi Tofu.