Minca & Kuboya - the unfriendly friendlies Part One

They are next to each other, on E 5th between Avenues A and B

Minca Ramen Factory and Kuboya (536 E 5th Street b/w Ave A & B)

Part One

Minca and Kuboya share the same DNA.  According to word on the street (a la my waitress at Minca), apparently the proprietor of Kuboya used to work at Minca, honed his skills there, and when he left he was said to have told the folks at Minca that he would take over the space next door, and would open a "different" concept.  When Kuboya opened, lo and behold, in an act of betrayal, out came another Ramen joint.

Me, my Crackberry, and an American Spirit in my right hand

Must be something about the Japanese culture.  I still recall the many trips to Japan that I took when I was a child.  The people there were just über polite and always nice.  And facing such acts of betrayal and defiance, I was surprised that the proprietors of Minca actually could co-exist with their new competitor next door, and no violence ensued.  If you throw in a couple of Italians something might have burnt down "by accident" already.

Well, back to Ramen.  And let's start with the master, Minca Ramen Factory.

I was meeting my buddy Steve at this place and by the time I got there I was starving, and not to mention pretty liquored up after stops at Lani Kai and Theater Bar without eating much lunch.

A nice bowl of Ramen was what the doctor would prescribe....especially when more libation would ensue.  Ramen is just this perfect food before and post drinking.  In this case, I'm doing a little bit of both, as I just finished drinking, but would start again after slurping down another bowl of goodness.  Steve himself was a bit of a ramen virgin himself, and boy was he in for a moment of discovery.  To make it more festive, we decided to order some sake instead of my customary glass of ice cold Japanese lager.

MINCA RAMEN FACTORY - Pork Broth Thick Noodles w/Roasted Garlic Broth (B+)

Minca Ramen Factory - Pork Broth with thick Wavy Noodles

Okay - full disclosure:  let me say that I might be slightly biased to their favor this time around, because Sake to me for sure would make better reviews.  That said, the heavy drinking aside, Minca does put out a solid product.

Their signature broth is a rich, thick pork-based, Tonkotsu type broth.  In my case, flavored with roasted garlic.  This bowl of liquid was quite smooth, creamy, rich, and yet balanced.  Saltiness was kept in check and flavorful throughout.  Let me say that this balance in flavor was also evident with their neighbor, Kuboya.  That said, Kuboya's was a little bit more nuanced (more on dat on Part Two).  That extra milkiness (which made Ippudo's an "A" bowl), was not as evident.

Toppings include 2 piece charshu, scallions, 1/2 boiled egg (hard center), sea weed, bamboo shoots, nori.  The egg, with its brown exterior, seemed to have been boiled or seasoned in a marinade of sorts.  Good flavor.  Had it been a soft center, even better.

Once of their shticks here is a choice of noodles.  Not sure what I should have I asked for my server's (the tipster) suggestion and she picked the thick wavy noodles for me.  They were thick of course, wavy like dried ramen, and they were a little glassy, but a bit on the chewy side.  Good but not great.

I don't recall tasting much flavor from the charshu.

Steve's Kimchi Ramen - a bowl full of joy

As for condiments, they offer white pepper, torigashi, and spicy ma-yu.  The latter two were used with much effect in my bowl.  I do like the spicy ma-yu option, and in some places they had taken this art to the next level where they would sell you a small ramekin of their precious, secret recipe red oil for a couple of bucks (check out my upcoming review on Kuboya).

Steve wanted some extra kick, so he opted for the Kimchi Ramen, which comes in a bigger bowl and had corn and mushrooms as additional toppings.  It looked awesome but I didn't have a chance to taste it.  Steve did say it was spicy.  Since he "cleaned house," I was quite sure he had thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

and did he embraced the culture!  well done!

Again, the score might have been inflated, but with good friends, cold sake, and ramen, it was hard to not have a great time.  So a "B+" awarded more so for the experience, than just the strength of their bowl of ramen.  Regardless, good job Minca.

Afterwards, we went for beer and Jameson's, and the party continued.....






NEXT:  Part 2 - KUBOYA

So I Went to Mecca

Ippudo - first time sizing up the shrine


Ippudo - The Ramen Shrine

Ippudo (65 4th Ave @ E 10th)

Some call it the ramen shrine, others crowned it the noodle temple.  And for me, Ippudo is the place where I popped my ramen cherry.  Since that fateful first visit with the wife, I had returned many times.  But on every visit, while I slurpped down my noodles, I still wondered what took me so friggin' long to discover such wholesomeness in a bowl.  And especially for Ippudo, they are simply addictive, and I can't tell you exactly why.  I just love that place.  Its not just me, ask my friends Michelle, Ben, and Angel, they are the same like me, we are simply are hooked.



I walked right in at 11:20am and got sat.
The place was 30% full already.



But when it comes to visiting "mecca," let's say my batting average with them just plain sucked, much like A-Rod and Posada when they went on their hitting slumps.  And I don't mean the food, but rather, that stupid wait.  I knew not to go during prime time.  But recently, no matter how much I tried to time it right, I've run into long waits even in a late hour like 2 or even 3pm.  Since I hate to wait, I ended up leaving with the crave still intact, but a growling tummy.  No bueno.

Well, let's say that the one positive that I got out of this mean streak is this Blog, as I set out to look for Ippudo alternatives (sans the wait).



But the stars finally aligned recently, when an early appointment took me downtown, and I was able to get seated right away at 11:30am.  My mean streak finally ended and I am feeling the blessings of the ramen gods again.



anticipation....

As this was my first time documenting a bowl of Ippudo ramen, I was both excited yet a little weary.  Will the shrine live up to its reputation as the reigning king of ramen?  Or have they become complacent and had since gotten mediocre?

Well let's order a dang bowl of sumthin' sumthin' and figure it out.  Drum roll please...

SHIROMARU HAKATA CLASSIC (w/extra charshu)  A-

This is my first "A" given in this young blog.  Am I biased just because I love Ippudo?  May be.  But what can't be denied is that if you want to look up the definition of "wholesome" in a Japanese dictionary, you just might find this picture next to the word.  This is one solid bowl of ramen, my friends.

Ippudo's classic "Tonkotsu" or pork bone broth is simply decadent.  When I drank the borth, I found it creamy, rich like milk, dense, nicely seasoned, and very tasty throughout.  That milk-like texture really took the broth to a higher level, as I had yet to get this same texture in other joints.  Other than that, the seasoning of the broth was subtle, but very enjoyable from start to finish.  It had all the richness but not heavy at all, which gave balance to noodles that were chewier.

Round two: their noodles are firm, chewy, and fresh

Toppings include 2 pieces of charshu (+3 in my bowl as I ordered the extra charshu option), scallions, seaweed, bamboo shoots, julienne'd pickled red ginger, sesame seeds and an aromatic sesame oil.

And if there could be one area of weakness in this bowl, toppings would be it.   Compared to other joints, Ippudo's looked scant, and uninspiring.  Although all the components tasted fine, they didn't add much excitement to the meal.  When mixed in with the noodles, I really couldn't taste much of the crunch from neither the scallions nor the red ginger which failed to give that extra kick.

The same goes for the charshu.  It was so so, and it looked like they came in two kinds, sliced round pieces from the "eye" of the loin, and the fattier, bacon-like slices with more carmelization from the marinate.  As much as I liked pork fat, I had grown to like the round pieces better as it held up its firmness better in the broth than the fattier pieces, which tend to melt in the hot liquid.  Overall I found  the flavor was merely so-so.  Compared to other places that took extra steps with theirs, like Naruto, who soaked theirs in a marinate; or Totto Ramen (review to come), who used a blow torch to char theirs, there's much work to be done with their's.

Their noodles were good.  Made like angel hair pasta, it was firm in the mouth, with a nice, chewy texture.  Whereas that's a part of me that liked the glassier type wavy noodles, Ippudo's reminded me of the noodles I had during my childhood, and I liked giving my noodles a good "chew" before slurping them down.  A tummy-pleasing experience indeed - yum.



At Ippudo they are condiment nazis, because they offer none, which is a little bit of a bummer for me as I like my spice.  But as I enjoyed my bowl of ramen, I had all but forgotten my torigashi or sesame grinder, because it was simply so good, so fulfilling.  May be that's their point - we do not provide condiments because we want  you to focus on the flavors already in the bowl.  Well if that's the intent then there might be a reason why we call them the shrine, as they were so zen about their ramen.  Well played!

great visit!

But then, the chinese in me kept asking why they are so cheap....

Overall, this is one fine bowl of human creation.  The flavors are balanced, and there is a deliberate attempt in showcasing the subtlties with simple, yet sophisticated creations.  Ramen and the broth are in center stage, and like perfect tango partners, they did a dance to perfection.  And if they would work on their condiments and charshu, a higher grade awaits.



Additional links:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/27/dining/reviews/27rest.html

 

http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2008/04/ippudo-ny-ramen-worth-waiting-for.html

Naruto Ramen - great find in the UES

NARUTO RAMEN (90th Street and 3rd Avenue)

Estimated number of visits: 1

It was Yelp that led me to this lovely neighborhood joint in a vibrant section of the upper east side (UES).  I'm used to seeing opulence, excesses, and overt displays of wealth in this hood, and upon arriving at Naruto what I saw was a beacon of human modesty and a reminder that a twenty dollar bill can still make your tummy so happy that could rival the three digit bills commonly incurred in other "finer" joints near by.  I'm all for human decency people...(and of course great ramen).

What excited me most was how these guys handle "their meat."  Their char siu is simply sensational, and if you could give great care to how you cook your meat, this is just music to someone like me, a career steak house man.  Well Done!

NARUTO RAMEN (House Ramen) B+

Naruto's House Ramen

Naruto's house broth seems to be shoyu based, which may have served as a "thinner" for a richer pork based broth.  The result is a cleaner broth, lighter, yet still deliciously "porky."  My exposure to shoyu based broths is limited.  But if this is represents a good version of this style, then it is something that I can grow to like very quickly.  The soup is yum.

Toppings include scallions, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, japanese "fish ball," 1/2 boiled egg (soft center), nori, and one thick, fat piece of char siu.

NOW the char siu here is special.  They are thick cut, and they keep them slices in a sauce and hold it in a very slow simmer.  A very tasty cut of meat.  I'm usually not a fan of extra condiments (I save space for noodles), but the extra char siu is worth the exception.

The char siu is held in that tall round pan, steeped in sauce in a slow simmer

If I were to guess I believe the noodles might be egg based.  They are not as firm, and thus less chewy than some, but compensated by some good bounciness.  With the soup it was a good combination with the broth, because the broth itself is lighter in style.

They have a great condiment selection:  white pepper, chili sesame oil, torigashi, sesame grinder, sirracha, soy, and vinegar.  I especially liked the sesame grinder because ground up sesame gives out a slightly more pungent and intense flavor, which makes the soup tastier as you drink it.  As always, the chili oil is about 1/2 empty when I finished.

Nice selection of condiments - I went crazy with the sesame grinder

 Overall I like Naruto.  Its about the same commute from my apartment in Astoria to Ippudo (I take the 6 Uptown instead of downtown).  Other than Hide Chan this can be another old reliable, especially that they offer you a slightly different base broth.  The char siu is simply delicious and I am happy to see that someone is paying attention to their "meat."  Mentioned before, I am not much of a fan of extra toppings (and in favor of kae-dama), but this char siu is worth the exception.  Extra credit for their care for the almighty pig.

And my draft beer, neglected as usual while I had my orgy with ramen.

another happy ending (and sweating like a sh*t head)

Tonkotsu Miso Ramen w/Thick Wavy Noodles @ Hide Chan

Hide Chan (52nd and 2nd Ave)

Estimated number of visits: 6

A five minute walk from the office, this is my old standby, a temporary refuge to all the b.s. in the real world.  They always deliver solid flavors, and I especially liked the choice of noodle firmness and richness of the broth (I always order firm noodles, and the broth rich).  Condiments had improved, but I wished they serve torigashi and not pepper.  Kudos on adding pickled ginger!

  

TONKOTSU MISO RAMEN w/THICK WAVY NOODLES  (B+)

A solid bowl of wholesomeness, especially to "wind down" the party before heading home.  Solid B+, especially now with pickled ginger as a condiment, which gives the noodle some extra crunch and kick.

This sucka is Hide Chan's main schtick.  The broth is a rich creamy white pork broth with a hint of nuttiness, but very savory without being too salty.  I like this broth, because while some other joints like to "scream" with their's (for example, Totto Ramen likes it spicy and they don't hide it), Hide Chan seems to emphasize the harmony between their broth, noodles, and toppings, so well played.

Toppings include 2 to 3 pcs char siu, bean sprouts, scallions, 1/2 egg (hard center), onions, nori, corn, and pieces of spinach.

The firm noodles were chewy and has a great bouncy texture.  They are just fluffy enough to keep you wanting for more.  The char siu really was a downer and not much to write home about (bland).

Their Condiment Selection Has Improved

Their condiment line up had improved.  They used to just give you sesame and white pepper.  Now you can add soy, vinegar (can't remember if they had it before), and their best addition yet, julienne'd pieces of pickled red ginger.  I added a ton of the ginger into my bowl, and when mixed with the noodles, it gives you an extra crunch and a kick of spice.  A mixture of chewy noodle, and a sour, pickled spice kick from the ginger, and the harmonizing broth, it is quite an memorable experience.

Ramen - Beer - Kae-dama - the perfect trinity