Totto Ramen: Slurps of Satisfaction

"New York City is full of crazy trends..." sarcastically remarked a man walking past me last Friday evening. This comment, while not entirely untrue, was in obvious reference to the large crowd amassed outside of Totto Ramen, the popular Japanese restaurant in Hell's Kitchen. While it seems that virtually all of New York is obsessed with Ippudo's porky Hakata-style ramen in their sheik downtown digs, count me as part of the dissenting minority who believes that Totto's chicken-based ramen is consistently serving up the better bowl.

Dinner Tonight: Menchanko-Tei Ramen

I braved (ok, I walked a block and a half) the Great Blizzard of '10 to get some Hakata ramen from Menchanko-Tei. The broth was good, very rich and with that nice creamy taste that Hakata ramen is known for, it was even better with a bunch of togarashi. The noodles were packed separately and had congealed a little by the time I got home, but eventually broke up when put in the hot broth. The slices of pork were the only bad part, gristly and flavorless. I also got fried squid "legs" for some reason. They consisted of chunks of 2 tentacles a piece, and were well-fried, except they were lacking sauce (only a lemon was provided).

I didn't take a picture, but this is from Midtown Lunch:


Menchanko-Tei
131 E. 45th St. (btw Lex & 3rd)
212-986-6805