NO SHORTAGE OF `WANTON-MEN'.

Byline: Larry Lipson Daily News Restaurant Critic

The most intriguing item on the menu of Don Men Tei, a new Japanese ramen cafe in Encino, is one titled ``wanton-men.''

There's another called ``tanmen.''

With such an obviously blatant appeal to women, you'd think this little restaurant would be filled with distaff patrons.

So far it hasn't happened.

But at each visit there were more diners present than the previous time. Guess the word must be spreading.

And it makes sense. Here's a clean, attractive, airy, little place sporting spherical paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling, blond wood furnishings and comfortable matted chairs, a few shoji-screened quasi-private cubicles and a long counter for solo noodle fanciers.

And its low prices will undoubtedly draw the curious to this unassuming cafe on the former site of Alessio, while its good food will definitely satisfy and cause quick returns.

For the uninitiated, ramen is, of course, the thin Japanese noodles that resemble spaghettini or angel hair. At Don Men Tai you may order your ramen noodles wavy or straight.

And you pay no more than $6.75 per large, deep bowl of the mostly soup-noodle offerings.

Basically, the kitchen produces three ramen dish choices: soy sauce-flavored, miso-flavored and salt-flavored.

These soup-noodle combinations are then joined by chicken pieces, shredded white chicken meat or chopped chicken, and roasted sliced pork or ground pork.

Vegetable groupings in the soups vary, sometimes with spinach, sometimes with cabbage, sometimes neither.

You'll find tofu, chives, carrots, onions, bean sprouts, nori (seaweed), bamboo shoots and wood ear-type black mushrooms in the various ramen recipes.

With cold ramen ($5.75), a delightfully refreshing delicacy on a hot day, the noodles are joined as a sort of pasta salad in an artistic presentation. The ramen provides a bed in the bottom of the bowl that is topped with narrow strips of white chicken meat and roast pork, thin egg shreds, spinach, seaweed, julienned cucumber, a sprinkling of ginger and bonito flakes, a couple of wedges of tomato and a zingy soy sauce dressing.

If you wish to spice any of these dishes up, there are condiments on each table: sesame chile oil, spicy pepper flakes, rice vinegar, soy sauce and a mashed garlic mixture in a handy little container with a spoon.

Of the soup-noodle bowls, I particularly liked the spicy, soy-sauced ramen ($6) with chicken, chives, onion, carrots and bean sprouts and the chashu-men ($6.50), a similar dish with a scattering of slices of moist, flavorful roast pork.

Also very tasty are the miso-ramen ($5.50) with ground pork, napa cabbage, mushrooms, bean sprouts, onion, regular cabbage, carrots and chives, and that wanton-men dish ($5.75) that has seven wonton dumplings in it.

Speaking of dumplings, the feathery light gyozas (similar to pot-stickers, $3.50 for seven) are very enjoyable here (you can add four of them to any ramen dish for an extra $1.75) and they come filled with either meat or spinach mixtures.

And the shui-mai ($3.50) arrive steaming hot and tender, either in servings of seven with shrimp or five with pork stuffing.

The kitchen also makes a number of donburi rice bowls featuring egg, chicken, beef or pork, all under $6, and some combination opportunities with beef or beef curry, most with rice and ramen. Lots of starch here, but still very flavorful stuff.

Tasty, inexpensive side items like a daikon radish salad ($2.50) with a choice of yuzu-soy or mustard-miso dressings, and the traditional Japanese vinegared vegetable salad called sunomono ($2) are recommended as starters, but you have to make this very clear to your waitress or you'll end up with everything coming up at the same time.

Don Men Tei provides an enjoyable spot for adventurous groups to gather and order a load of different salad, ramen and rice dishes. Ask for extra bowls, then pass them around for everybody to taste.

Lots of fun at very affordable tabs.

THE FACTS

The restaurant: Don Men Tei.

Where: 17302 Ventura Blvd., Encino.

When: Open for lunch, dinner and snacks from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. six days a week; closed Wednesdays.

Recommended items: Gyozas, shui-mai (pork or shrimp), sunomono, daikon salad, various soup-noodle bowls (ground pork and miso ramen, roasted pork ramen, chopped chicken ramen, miso chicken ramen, chashu-men with extra pork, spicy ramen with chicken), combination ramen and beef curry with rice.

How much: Appetizers and sides from $2 to $3.50, main courses from $4.50 to $6.75, dessert (ice cream, three flavors) $1.25. No alcohol; beer and wine license pending. MC, V, DC.

Reservations: Helpful. Call [phone].

Our rating: Three and One Half Stars for food; Three Stars for service; Four Stars for value.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

Photo: Ramen is the specialty at Masami Watanabe's Don Men Tei, where the soup-noodle offerings are available flavored with soy sauce, miso or salt.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News