Ryowa – 09.05.2009

Ryowa Ramen House
859 Villa St
Mountain View, CA

Mountain View may be known for HQ’ing Google but I’ll always remember it for Ryowa Ramen.  An hour was about all the time we had before the start of a friend’s wedding and craving ramen as we were, nothing was going to stop us from getting our fix.  DD and I hurriedly found the store and rushed in after parking.  Thankfully there was no line that Saturday afternoon and we wasted no time in seating ourselves at the “bar”.  Simple japanese style efficiency was the layout, typical of many ramen houses; with few tables with bar & stool seating snaking through the dining area, we were seated by a very cute waitress.

Oh the textures and layers…

While I am partial to Miso Ramen, I felt I had to try the Sesame ramen named after the restaurant with a side of pork gyoza.  The fried dumplings came out first.  They looked and smelled great but after the first bite we both realized, SALTY!  It was overpowering, even for this asian tongue.  The dumplings were homemade, but they were saltier than salt.  Dump these dumplings.

The ramen came out and it smelled and looked glorious.   Check out the gargantuan ladle of a spoon.  After savoring the rich aroma and snapping quick pictures with my trembling hand, I dove in.  Sugoiiiii.  Man this was good.  It was savory and salty and smooth, reminiscent of miso ramen.  Maybe I was really hungry but I devoured the ramen without tasting much sesame.  Eating salty noodle soup with salty pickled cabbage sounds ludicrous but the ramen and kimchi work together.  What else can contrast the fatty broth but spicy acidic cabbage?  Surprisingly, they offered two kinds of kimchi and they were both darn good.  This ramen rawked and I would definitely go back, to not only gawk at the waitresses but also to slurp some noodles and grab a cool Ryowa t-shirt.

Ryowa Sesame Ramen (Point of view from my eyeballs to yours)

(Leaning in close, heat rises from the bowl and hits the face)

(uncovering the delicious noodles; sniff the steaming broth)

Good
The Ryowa sesame ramen, and it’s only $7.50!
Not one but two kinds of killa kimchi

Bad
One bite of the pork gyoza will give you a weeks worth of sodium
The egg in the soup was overcooked and dry, I like runny ramen eggs.

Ugly
Sweating through my dress shirt from the hot ramen and spicy kimchi

- Ramen club CEO

Kimich should always look this good.

Minca – 01.01.09

Minca
536 E. 5th St.
New York City

From our newest eatclubber and contributor, Margarita, who has the honor of writing the first review of 2009!

Upon arriving at Minca Ramen Factory, I was met with the unmistakable, savory aroma of ramen broth. Bear in mind, the night before was New Year’s Eve and my body was thoroughly depleted of sodium. I desperately wanted to ask if I could have the broth be put into a mug so that I could greedily gulp it while we waited for a table. Every seat was taken, with either a couple here or a small group there  slurping up noodles and salty, hot soup-y goodness. I started to fear that it would take a long while before we were sat down let alone someone took our order. One lone, busy lady was in charge of hosting, waitress-ing, busing and answering the phone (do they do take-out? was she giving table availabilities?). Luckily, two tables were finishing up and the zealous waitress did a swift job at accommodating our group.

I ordered the #9, which is described as spicy, with pork broth. The typically clear, thin Ramen broth was thickened with the “spicy” mixture giving it a light orange hue with red flecks. I found it to be pleasantly spicy and not overbearing at all. Even the more sensitive palates would be able to slop it up. The spices danced long enough on my tongue without having to rest too long between spoonfuls. The noodles were cooked to al dente perfection. There was enough springiness to it that it did not slide off my chopsticks. The obligatory egg (hard-boiled) disappointed. I would have preferred my egg to naturally cook in the hot soup, making the yolk an addition to the flavor. There was one slice of pork with a little bit of marbling that didn’t make me squeamish. I prefer a leaner cut but under these hung-over circumstances, I made an exception.

Don’t expect iced water at Minca’s or even cold water for that matter. The glasses must have come straight from the dishwasher because the water was lukewarm. It would have been more appropriate to drink a refreshing, cold glass of water to contrast the hot, flavorful soup. All in all, it was a great satisfying meal. I might not be as lucky with the service next time but the soup bowl #9 is well worth the trip to this desolate block in alphabet city. Until next time…M

Homemade pork gyoza (fried dumplings)

Miso Ramen

Close-up of miso ramen (drool…)

The crazy menu

Our newest eaters:  H&M

bru’s 2 cent review

Minca is well worth the hike out to alpahbet city.  The pork dumplings were indeed home made and cooked to perfection:  crunchy caramelzied on the bottom while chewy and sticky on top.  But the star of the night was the ramen.  The miso ramen was FANTASTIC!  It came with the recommended wavy noodles which were perfectly springy and toothy.  The broth was a complex blend of pork and chicken that was not overpowered at all by the miso (as the case usually is).  The cloudy caramel-colored concoction was surprisingly thick yet impossible to slurp enough of.   The sliced swirls of fatty pork were prepared very well and has me craving more even as I write this review.  The only flaw, if not personal prefernce, was the egg in the  soup.  Thanks to Setagaya, I expect the egg to be hard boiled but with a gooey yolk that runs somewhere between solid and liquid.  The egg was still good as it was marinated in some sort of soy sauce.  Although slightly above average at $11.50 a bowl, the miso ramen alone is well worth the price, the wait, and the trek out there.  The place is small and unassuming from the outside as it sits in a desolate street.  All that changes once you enter the door and experience the power of ramen.

Hours later, there was another confirmation that this ramen was the real McCoy:  The salt/MSG thirst that usually accompanies a typical ramen eating session never occured.  First time this has ever happened to me…or perhaps like M, I was severely depleted of sodium from the night before…

-bru

Men Kui Tei – 04.22.08

Men Kui Tei
60 W 56th St
(between 5th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas)
New York, NY 10019
(212) 757-1642

No name in site, maybe written in Japanese?

Pork Miso Ramen

So close you can smell it

Tonkotsu Ramen Soup

Gyoza aka Fried Dumplings

Springiness

Eatclub went back to its roots tonight and visited yet another NYC ramen spot. It was an EPIC night but more on that later. Men kui tei did not disappoint with its take on Japanese fast food noodle soup. The place is tight and cramped and you will bump elbows with your neighbor as you slurp soup and gnaw noodles. Like most ramen joints, service is quick and efficient with fast turnover for tables. For even faster service, opt for counter seating.

Order the gyoza; unlike other places that use the packaged frozen kind, MKT has dumplings that taste homemade and fresh. Being a Naruto fan, I tend to order pork miso ramens and the one at MKT was quite tasty. Miso ramen lacks the subtleties of shoyu or shio ramen so all I am impressed by is miso-ness. Pork was average and thankfully was not overcooked and tough though it could be a little more fatty. The ramen noodles itself were some of the BEST I ever had. Toothy, springy, and plentiful, it definitely sets itself apart from other ramenyas. I have decided once and for all I do not like straight ramen noodles. After tasting the intern’s tonkotsu ramen, I was surprised to say that the pork bone broth was much more exciting and rewarding.

Good
Great gyoza
Miso ramen slightly above average.
Ramen noodles were bomb dilly.
Fast service, standard pricing, and large ramen portion.

Bad
The dry mouth ramen thirst after eating. Too much MSG perhaps?

Ugly
That awful yellow Larmen awning that doesn’t even mention the name Men Kui Tei

Time lapse of ramen consumption

Epic evening!  Ramen, then korean style frozen yogurt at the trendy Pinkberry, Korean “deli” at Woorijip and finally Halal Street Meat at 53rd and 6th.  Is this how ramen clubbing will be done from now on?  I hope so…

Pinkberry 34th Street Manhattan

Pinkberry with Captain Crunch, Banana, and Mango

K-town Klassic

53rd and 6th!

The end of a long evening of eat clubbing…