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)