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Ajisen Ramen
Category: Restaurants Japanese Japanese [Edit]
227 W Valley BlvdSan Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 281-8388
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Rene G. said: "OH MY GAWD. I love this place so much. I really don't know where to start but ill try. You have to first make a reservation because this place is always packed. Trust me it is always packed. I only go here for the happy hour because…" read more »
252 reviews for Ajisen Ramen
Review Highlights
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"The curry fried chicken with rice is great too." In 19 reviews -
"Delicious Spicy Beef Ramen, Nice Ambiance." In 16 reviews -
"I like most of their flavors and pork rib is my favorite." In 10 reviews
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252 reviews in English
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Review from Nicole C.
Los Angeles, CA
5/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
It was a cold winter's nite.....well, not really but I was in the mood for soup, ramen, and some meat.
Its a great local place for me, when they are not too busy.
Everything on the menu is great, so give everything a try. -
Review from Bradley C.
Huntington Beach, CA
4/24/2012
This Ajisen Japanese Ramen restaurant located in very busy Chinese strip mall... Luckily they have plenty of underground parking, so don't be discouraged if the lot looks full.
I've eaten here several times, and it has always been consistent, in a very good way... Friendly, attentive service with excellent katsu and ramen. I know Ajisen is a chain, but the quality of the food, the server's knowledge of the menu and attention make this place special. Kudos have to go to the management for running a tight ship.
With very reasonable prices, great food and service... I would definitely recommend stopping in for a bite if you find yourself in the neighborhood! -
Review from Leah K.
4/23/2012 2 photos
Never have been a big ramen eater, so I don't have much to compare to.
I thought the ramen was tasty! Great broth with different veggies and very tender meat. There is some oil on top but it makes it taste even better. Promise. -
Review from Nasirellie Bellie T.
Rosemead, CA
5/7/2012
I mean spaghetti noodles instead of ramen noodles? sure, why not. it's definitely not authentic, but what is authentic in San Gabriel Valley?? I like it.
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Review from Lyn F.
Pasadena, CA
5/4/2012
I like it here, even though it may not be Japanese owned.
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Review from Jose R.
San Gabriel, CA
5/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
I came here because it was closer than the temple city location.we ordered spicy beef ramen,the broth was light http://brown.it was supposed to be red so it wasn't spicy.they gave us the wrong broth.the temple city location is much better.the manager on duty was a rude china man.even though its closer to home,i wont be back!!
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Review from Jackie K.
Alhambra, CA
3/23/2012 1 Check-in Here
The food here is for u if u like eating ramen or curry.
I tried fried chicken ramen and its DELICIOUS and CRUNCHY! YUMYUM!
my bf tried beef curry ramen and he also loves it!
The service is fast and attentive but the place is kinda small n crowded.... needs more space cuz I can hear what the couple next to me arguing about and kinda ruin our appetite =_= -
Review from Nicole M.
1/30/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Sadly can't rate the ramen, which my friends say was amazing.
But I came in with 10 girls all dressed up in Lolita (Japanese doll fashion) and they were accommodating and didn't snark at us like some people.
They even discussed heavily with my Vegan friend about what was in the tofu salad, though they ran back and forth for a long time, they brought out an alternative sauce in a bowl for her to try first.
The yakisoba was okay. It wasn't hot when it came, it was warm, but it got cold fast. Quite honestly I was unimpressed, just fried noodles, nothing much.
But I'll totally up-date my review when I try what they're known for.
And service was really good, so I feel bad with 3 stars. -
Review from Angie W.
10/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
Been here a few times & like the appetizers the most, ramen is ok. SSG is better.
The restaurant is pretty big & has ramen bowls as decor on the walls. The booth seats in the back of the restaurant its pretty cool too.
The last time I was there, I tried the Eel fried rice which was good. The beef enoki roll is one of my faves, & the crab salad is good.
My usual ramen is the premium pork, so flavorful.Listed in: Slurpiness, Konnichiwa, Local | Valley Blvd
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Review from grace c.
San Gabriel, CA
12/15/2011
I love AJISEN!! I dont know if i could ever get sick of it :(. I always order the Beef Curry Ramen! it's SOO GOOD!! i just wish it wasn't so expensive, otherwise, i would come here waaaaaaaaay more often!! The service isn't bad here either. They were all super polite and nice to me/my table. hmm idk, maybe they have spotty service.. but i just happen to go at the right times! haha.
-1 STAR B/C their beef curry ramen is too expensive :'( . -
Review from Tommy L.
11/14/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Ajisen represents the very best of mediocrity in a region where amazing, critically-acclaimed ramen joints are easy to come by. And I'll leave it at that.
There's nothing particularly bad to say about the quality of their ramen, broth or other side offerings that they have, but there's nothing great about them either. If you must come, please only order the premium pork, pork rib or spicy pork ramen. The broth is heavy on the MSG side, so do not overdose at risk of dehydration. -
Review from David Y.
2/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
We wanted to have some Japanese ramen and after reading the reviews about this place, we decide to come here for lunch. They had a new entrée on their menu called beef tomato ramen, of course my wife had to try it out. She said it was very tasty and you get quite a lot of ramen for the price. I ordered their house special tender pork ribs ramen. It was equally delicious and the portion size was quite reasonable for the price. No wonder this place is consistently busy. If you are in the mood for ramen, come give this place a try. You won't be disappointed.
Listed in: Northern and Southern…
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Review from Jamison U.
Kansas City, MO
10/16/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Never a fan of a chain I have to admit this is a guilty pleasure for me. I love this place and wish I had one near me. I remembered this from HK and was happy to find it in the US.
Its nothing spectacular, no gourmet treatment just good ramen, good portions and good service. -
Review from Golden M.
Los Angeles, CA
2/14/2012
I see why this place does not have good reviews. I order the lunch special A. and the server asked me which side order would I like so I went ahead with the gyoza, after the meal he decides to charge me for a full order of gyoza. He brought out 8 pieces, instead of 4, but why bring out the full size when I order the lunch special? To charge me for the full size? Yes. He did not offer to rectify the problem which really made the meal lousy.
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Review from Van D.
10/2/2011 7 photos
I love ramen and i love ajisen!! but this isnt exactly my favorite location!!
I really like their location in irvine and in rowland, but this location has really bad parking, squishy seating and mediocre service =/
They food is still good and their drinks are yummy, but if i had to pick, i rather go to a different location to get better service and not be annoyed about parking =/ -
Review from Erica C.
7/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
AJISEN! This was one of the things I missed the most about HK. I was sad when I realized that I couldn't have Ajisen Ramen with Tomato based soup on the weekly once I returned to the U.S. I insisted that we went the first day I was back in SoCal with my family. The menu offerings were very similar and I ordered my faves back in HK. Either my memory tricked me or the quality is just not the same as in Asia. *sigh. Everything tastes better in Asia.
Meet me in HK, it's going dowwwwn. -
Review from Sharr K.
7/21/2011 1 photo
First ramen experience here about 8 years ago. Spicy Pork Ramen is my favorite. Strangely enough I've tried Ajisen in Hong Kong and noticed the taste is much better there. Logic says it's the type of pork used to bring out all the flavors in the broth.
Had it not been for Shinsengumi Ramen or Santouka Ramen, I would've given this place a 4-Star rating.Listed in: Asian Persuasion!, Hooked on chains...., I LOVE Japanese food:-)
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Review from Giovanni F.
Pasadena, CA
3/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
The chicken is served raw, never going back
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Review from Ivy W.
I've been here plenty of times for my quick fixes of ramen. There's not much to complain about this location, and there's not much to compliment about this location either.
Pros: Prompt seating, fast completion of order, flavorful broth, good selection of ramen/curry/drinks, cheap, one order of ramen is just about right to fill me up.
Cons: I HATE THE PARKING SITUATION (upon entry, you drive around a small circle and down underground where you run into your typical "Monterey Park/Alhambra/San Gabriel drivers"), mediocre service (after placing our orders, we always have a difficult time flagging down employees or getting refills), wooden chairs are super uncomfortable, tables leave no room for privacy & I'm not sure I want to be listening in on my neighbor's conversation. -
Review from Julia Z.
Monterey Park, CA
Considering the flavor + waiting line + price. Yay~ if i want ramen for dinner, I would go there in San Gabriel area.
Their ramen is good. I like most of their flavors and pork rib is my favorite. The soup base is very nicely flavored and noodle itself, not that impressive, but still very good to go with the soup.
The appetizers are good too. We tried beef and tofu, yummy.
Just generally, the parking is a bit difficult in that Hilton plaza normally during peak hours. -
Review from Modita N.
Pomona, CA
First time having ramen and it sure won't be my last!
I got the tomato ramen which was very good. The beef was tender and my soup wasn't too oily. I wish they gave more tomatoes in my soup but I still enjoyed it.
The service was friendly and helpful. -
Review from Denysia Y.
Cerritos, CA
7/9/2011
Food here was alright. I don't understand what it is about my food, but it always seems like mine (mine not mines, like my friend Will always says!) always comes out last.
I didn't get the usual ramen, because I had tried out this place in Irvine, a couple months back, with another friend, and it was alright. I still really prefer shinsengumi, or little Tokyo for my ramen. But since this place is closer, than say Torrance, or downtown LA, we went to try it out.
I got the pork katsu curry. I don't know what it is about lunch, but I have a tendency to eat way less than what I would normally eat at dinner. :C
Anyway, the pork was crispy but a little dry. The curry was typical curry. Nothing special. It tastes like the kind my mom makes. Not as good as curry house. But still passable. And the curry plate came miso soup, and pickled cucumbers. Overall I would give this place 3 and a half stars.
By the way, this place gets pretty packed, because it's so small, so when we entered, it was kind of hard to sit down, because we had to sit next to another table, so the guys had to walk all the way around, until they could get to our table. A little awkward, but it was fine.Listed in: Asian Style Restaurants!
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Review from Kevin S.
Brea, CA
11/9/2011
I like this place a lot; my personal favorite is the beef curry ramen - I find it to be much tastier and fullfilling than the usual bowl of ramen at other nearby ramen places.
Prices are sorta high, as they seem to be for all ramen places around LA. The bowls will run you between $7 to $10 I believe.
Service and seating at this place are both average and not great, thus why I am giving 4 stars instead of 5. -
Review from Elizabeth P.
Anaheim, CA
10/16/2011
I went here on a recommendation from a co-worker. The place is pretty clean and the service is decent. The food was OKAY. I ordered curry, but it wasn't the nice, thick curry I'm used to having like at Curry House.
Their specialty is ramen, I think. Overall, a decent place, but I'd rather go to Hataka Ramen, only a few blocks away, instead. -
Review from Johnny L.
Los Angeles, CA
Updated - 1/8/2012
In retrospect this place is shit and that's all I need to say. Considering they probably don't even know what real tonkotsu is this is basically a culinary crime to what they call ramen.
Listed in: SoCal Ramen Rankings!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/25/2009
eh the food here isnt bad but there are some things I'm no fan of here:
1. The noodles are too… Read more »
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Review from David W.
7/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
I personally don't understand the hype with Ajisen. It must taste better abroad because I'm not impressed with this location at all. I don't think anything is that special about the ramen.
I've tasted better in Little Tokyo. -
Review from Julie D.
Pasadena, CA
9/12/2011
I've been here a couple of times now and always get the veggie ramen. I don't think their ramen/broth is exceptional in any way, but the portions are pretty large, albeit not very cheap. I find the broth to be kind of bland, and I like my ramen to be a little more... of the sea?
They do a buy-one-get-one for drinks on M-Th, so we got some juices that proved to be waaaay too sweet for me. Then again, I don't drink juices often.
The service here is also a little inconsistent -- sometimes very attentive and then sometimes a bit neglectful. -
Review from Duke C.
4/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
Always a hit or miss.
I've had a Ajisen plenty of times, both at this location and its overseas branches. Essentially, all Ajisen are the same but I do think the US locations are handicapped by the ingredients and the slower additions of new items.
All the different choices of ramen differ in the topping or added flavoring. The obvious different ones are the curry/miso/tomato based ramen. The Tender Pork Rib Ramen is still my favorite. Soft, tender, pieces of pork rib is flavorful and I love the soft rib bone. Most of the time the pork ribs are right on, with a pork soup base. But the soup and the ramen itself is too inconsistent. Lack of attention to detail does plague this location from time to time, which results in overly salty soup base or soft over cooked ramen.
The miso ramen is a good choice if you want something that's a little different other than just topping. Never had the curry or the tomato ramen. I'm not that big of liquidy curry anyways. There's also rice dishes but never tried them.
Recently they've also added boba drinks onto the menu.
Overall, the the menu is big so it can cater to most people. It's a fall-back spot for me just in case I'm craving for some Japanese food or if Shinshengumi is too packed. -
Review from Kera U.
Monterey Park, CA
9/24/2011
I don't know if the quality varies per restaurant but this is my first time at an Ajisen. My foodie pals and Japanese friends are totally right: the ramen is no good here and not worth eating again.
I got the ton toro ramen ("ton toro" meaning a rich, fatty cut of pork). I think they also call it the "premium pork ramen". The name is misleading as it was thin slices of dried pork, overcooked so it was slightly chewy. And as one who cooks knows, when meat is overdone, all the fat gets cooked out and it becomes less flavorful. The ramen was also bland, reminded me of whole grain linguine- blech. The broth was okay. My dish was nothing to brag about. It's not that it was bad; it just wasn't good.
My mom ordered several different things, one of which was the tonkatsu with a dipping sauce. I tried the cutlet and it was yummy. Lightly fried, not too oily and a juicy cut of meat. Would have loved eating that with some Japanese curry and preserved radish.
-Atmosphere: Quiet for a Saturday night. We got there about 9:30 PM, restaurant closes @ 11:00 PM tonight.
-Decor: Simple and clean.
-Service: Overall good. Server named Dennis. Nice, polite and attentive. Food all came out really quickly, but I don't know if it was because the restaurant was pretty empty. There were no orders ahead of ours.
It was an okay experience. Not at all bad but I would not go back there again on my own. If I did, I would probably try a tonkatsu curry dish just because I liked how well they did the cutlet. -
Review from Wayne H.
1/31/2011
I'm electing to review this just branch of Ajisen because:
1. The boss at the Temple City branch is WAY too wound up - homeboy needs to get laid or something; and
2. I have too many Hacienda/Rowland Heights reviews under my belt. I don't want to seem like I'm a fan of the area or anything. My office is there, ergo there I eat. Period.
This is also my endorsement of Ajisen's ability to uphold product consistency across branches.
I can always count on their respectable portion sizes, fit for a bigger guys like me. Even on a busy Sunday afternoon the wait is never too long.
As much as I'd like to try out the other items on the menu, I find myself time and again gunning for the mega spicy pork noodle of death.
Don't really order it by that name. They'll laugh at you, and then you'll be sad.Listed in: Los Angeles: Ramen-o-rama
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Review from Crystal L.
Bronx, NY
12/2/2011
a few years ago, i would've given this place four stars. but now that im older, moved to ny, and essentially, have seen and tasted bigger and better things, i can only downgrade this place. don't get me wrong- the ramen is still pretty delicious, but the soup base is too greasy compared to the other ramens ive tried. each ramen is about $8-$10, unless you get the ajisen ramen (which is about $6). but i would say try the other flavors if you're going for the first time. the appetizers (ie. sushi and gyoza) are good too, but like the ramen, i definitely had better. boba milk tea is also average. they have this dessert tho- sweet rice ball in black coconut milk that is pretty excellent.
so my final verdict: overall pretty good, but not excellent. decorations are nice too. worth a try. -
Review from Lisa O.
Monterey Park, CA
5/23/2011
I've been here several times, and not because I was craving ramen from here, but it was because we had no idea where else to go.
I've tried the Curry Ramen and the Beef Ramen. And they're both mehh. It did not leave me craving for more. However, yesterday, was the last straw for me. So, I came back here after not eating here for about half a year. My boyfriend and I shared a Beef ramen (which was about $8), and oh. em. gee. We BOTH felt sick to our stomachs as soon as we left the restaurant. It's been a day, and I STILL feel sick. My boyfriend took that beef ramen to go, and boy, it did NOT look like food hours later.
We were already kinda "WTF?" when we got in, and five minutes after sitting down and trying to decide what to eat, they asked us if we could move to another table cause there was a group of 6. First of all, if there was a group of 6 waiting, why did you seat us there specifically? UGH.
Holy crap, the soup is DISGUSTINGLY oily as FFFFFUUUU and the noodles aren't that great either. The ramen all tastes the same to me, as if they use the SAME broth for EVERYTHINGGG.
SUGGESTIONS?
- Wait that extra 30-45 minutes at Shinsengumi, its slightly cheaper and DEFINITELY tastes better.
- Go to Papa Walk next door
In other words, just eat somewhere else! -
Review from Daisy S.
West Hollywood, CA
7/9/2011
Consistent.
The croquette is hilarious and good. -
Review from Betty P.
Rosemead, CA
11/20/2011
Haven't been this angry at a restaurant for a long time! Went to Ajisen tonight and they f* up my order, my food was f*in' dry as hell when it finally came out, then they overcharged us for the food we didn't order in the first place, and I get a half-assed apology from the assistant manager! We rarely EVER complain about service because we're Chinese American and we're used to shitty ass service but WTF?!
I used to come to this restaurant quite often and I liked their food. I usually order the premium pork rice set because even though it's pretty fatty, it was always juicy and tender.
Tonight, I went back for the first time in about 6 months to a year and it was the worse experience I've ever had with them! I'm Chinese and I have a high tolerance for bad service and rude servers but I just couldn't stand it this time! My husband ordered a ramen noodle and I was the second person to order in our group. I told the server, "Premium Pork..." and he cut me off saying, "yea ok" and I contunued with, "rice set." He then goes on to take the orders of the other two people in my group. They ordered ramen. The food comes out fairly quickly but to my surprise they brought me premium pork ramen. I tell the person that I ordered the rice set not the ramen, and they apologize and take it back. A few seconds later I hear our server say loudly to another person, "She said number 17!" That really pissed me off! He was basically trying to get off the hook for putting in the wrong order. The assistant manager comes over to our table and instead of apologizing, she goes on to talk about how she doesn't know what we said or what we really ordered but that it'll take 10 minutes for my food if I still want it. We just said okay because we didn't want to complain. My food comes out about 10 minutes later and my pork was so dry! That was it! It's almost $10 for my rice set and it comes out dry?? At the end our meal we get our check and they had overcharged us for our food! They didn't take out the premium pork ramen that we had sent back earlier. My husband had had enough and just told the assistant manager all the issues we had been having all night with their service and she just gave us some half-hearted apology that sounded more like a "yeah okay, so what do you want me to do about it" tone than a sympathetic one.
I am willing to tolerate forgetful servers that don't bring us what we asked for especially when it's busy, but tonight the restaurant wasn't even full or understaffed! We will never go back to this restaurant! They used to be so quick and even a little friendly back then. What happened?? They don't even have a line anymore. Now I know why. -
Review from Lo T.
Cerritos, CA
7/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Good ramen! Fast service!
I always order the shoyu ramen but last saturday we ended up at this branch instead of the one in Irvine (dnt ask me how...all I can say is that I blame the GPS for this.) We ordered the premium pork ramen. The ramen is okay but the pork is tasty. Even my hubby was surprised .
going to keep coming back here but I'm curious about what Sharr K. wrote. I'm going to have to try Shinsengumi Ramen or Santouka...We'll see... -
Review from Nikki C.
El Monte, CA
7/26/2011
Super yummy! i totally recommend this place so much flavor in everything! The spicey beef ramen is the bomb! the geozas or however you spell them are amazing..The mocha drink yummmmy!
I eat here way too often! -
Review from Kristine H.
La Crescenta-Montrose, CA
11/7/2011
Spicy pork ramen with a side of fried tofu lunch special and buy one get one free pudding milk tea. Overall everything was tasty; however I could do without the msg headache I'm trying to work off right now.
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Review from Carol L.
San Gabriel, CA
2/1/2011
This place is located at the Hilton Plaza. The best place to park is downstairs, there is PLENTLY of parking. I use to come here a lot but since I work a lot now, I do not come here anymore. It's a pretty chill spot to catch food with your friends. I do recall getting dumplings there and being head over heels over it!! It was so goood .. they use to have the shaved it, but i'm not sure if they have it anymore, but that was good too.. it wasn't just good but DELICIOUS!!! their ramen noodle soups in my opinion are really good. People have different opinions.. You put four chefs in one room, you get four opinions am i correct? Well this place gets a five star from me. it's right around the corner from my bestfriends house.. so we just walk over there : )
btw, they have a great staff! their super friendly. I give restaraunts extra points for being friendly! especially when its an asian place. their place is inexpensive also. it's a fair price for a regular dinner. -
Review from Eric L.
Monterey Park, CA
6/28/2011
Honestly this place is just OK. They give you a good amount of food and everything is decent but not great. I think my biggest gripe is that they put cabbage in their ramen. Who does that? I always take it out or tell them I don't want it. I've never been to another ramen place that does this.
My friend always gets the spicy beef ramen and loves it. Parking here is OK. There's puny parking lot on top but there's plenty of underground parking. Beware though...this is San Gabriel so the drivers here are a little crazy. -
Review from Dorothy R.
Los Angeles, CA
1/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Ajisen is okay... It's like the Burger King of the ramen world. (We would have eaten at the better ramen place a few blocks East of this place, except there was a giant mob waiting outside.)
After consulting my yelp peeps via iPhone, I decided to order the #17 Premium Pork Ramen ($8.25). My boyfriend ordered the #1 Tender Pork Ribs Ramen ($8.25). I'm glad I got the Premium Pork Ramen, because I like more lean cuts of meat, and the slices were very tasty. He picked well too, because his Tender Pork Rib meat in the ramen was hearty and fatty - just the way he likes it.
So the meat was good, but the broth and extra goodies were lacking. I love soupy broths, but this one just wasn't exciting. I also wanted more green onion and cabbage to contribute some pizzaz in the soup, instead of just noodles and meat. That part could definitely improve.
Service was not wonderful, but not bad. I've had worse experiences at the other Ajisen location on Las Tunas.
Overall, it's a decent place to get a ramen fix, but don't expect anything spectacular. And watch out in the parking garage - there's a maniac attendant that takes his job way too seriously!Listed in: Asian Persuasion Caucasian
