The Unfriendly Friendlies - Part 2 (Kuboya)

 

RAMEN KUBOYA

 (536 E. 5th Street)

 http://www.kuboyanyc.com/

Kuboya with its signature white exterior

So after an epic night out with my buddy Steve, it proved to me that a bowl of ramen as a starter to a night of binge drinking could be a much healthier alternative to fried foods.  Duly noted, and no wonder they lived like til 120 in Japan and those guys can drink.

Close neighbors indeed!

Okay, then it begs the question, how about the restorative qualities of brother ramen?  As it turned out, I was able to put this theory to test on a visit to Kuboya on a gloomy Sunday afternoon, nursing a massive hangover, and a tummy crying for food.  In other words, moi was hurting bad (real bad), and needed a fix quick.  And since I liked soup at times like this (it's an Asian thing), let's go get a bowl of ramen.

Kuboya is the bastard child of Minca.  Like what I mentioned when in our discussion of Minca, the guy who opened Kuboya started at Minca next door, then went next door to start his own thing - Kuboya.  Again, what a story of betrayal....

The place, when you walk in, resembles more like an east village bistro/bar than a typical ramen joint.  The kitchen can't be seen, and less booth/counter top type seating.  Unusual indeed, but sorry I'm not AvroKo and not here to critique nor take in the place's design.  Let's order up some ramen mo-fo!  That said, the bar keep was a beauty tho....domo arigato!!!  = )

Kitchen is behind the bar

Okay, so their schtick here is, drum roll please, pretty much a clone of Minca next door.  Their signature broth is a "triple blended" recipe, and comes in four flavors:  ocean salt (my choice), creamy soy, blended miso, and spicy miso.  Much like Setagaya (review soon), the broth tastes lighter on the palate, and the fish flavor (reminds me on bonito) in the soup adds complexity.  Most important, versus some heavy Tonkotsu broth base, I find this broth very easy throughout the meal, and my palate didn't feel "weighed down."

Ramen Kuboya - Ocean Salt Flavor Broth Ramen (Triple Blend)  (A-)

Can't Miss the Customary Kae-dama!

Toppings include 2 pcs char shu, scallions, one whole boiled egg (medium hard center), bamboo shoots.  Not too fancy, and I'm not a fan of their char shu, as they were a bit on the fatty side and it didn't hold very well in the broth.  One of my pieces literally melted away in the hot soup....I could only wish my baby fat melts away like this.

I liked their noodles.  Pale yellow in color, wavy,  and a little glassy, the Kuboya guys cooked it just a bit more al dente than some, which gives the noodles a little more crunch, which was quite pleasurable.

Signature La-Yu

Since I like things spicy, I also ordered their signature chili oil, which is a concoction of dried scallop, shrimp, onion, and garlic.  Nice flavor, but lacking on the heat factor.  Toto Ramen's la-yu was much more potent, by comparison.  They do not offer any condiments, guess chef must be a bit of a nazi, and he doesn't like for you to doctor his recipe.

Overall, a good bowl of noodles.  From start to finish, it was pleasurable, the consistency of the broth was superb.  Just wished the char shu was done a bit better, and this could easily been an "A" bowl.  And in terms of curing the hunger and the headache, ramen did the trick, as a nice sweat in the head always help.  Good work Kuboya.