Ladies and gentlemen ... I've traveled over half of New York City's East Village slurping ramen noodles and broth. From Minca Ramen Factory to the city's first truly Japanese ramen-ya, Ramen Setagaya, to David Chang's self-professed "... crappy Pan-Asian ramen made for round-eyes," I have been on the front lines of New York City's so-called ramen wars. So ... ladies and gentlemen ... if I say I am a ramen man you will believe me.
As a ramen man I had been steadfastly waiting for the opening of the East Village outpost of Japan's Hakata Ippudo ever since reading about it on Rameniac. I longed to taste the much heralded soup of the Ramen King Shigemi Kawahara. Ladies and gentleman ... let me assure you it was worth the long wait for Ippudo NY to open. Upon my first visit I was so overcome by the springy noodles and the richness of the long-cooked pork-bone broth in the Shiromaru ramen that I was unable to take a photograph, lest I be separated from my first encounter with ramen ecstasy.
Upon my second visit I was better prepared and steeled my nerves to take a photo of the Akamaru Modern, a gussied up version of the Shiromaru with garlic oil and other added frippery. It was also commendable; as you can see from the photo I ate quite a bit of it before I remembered my journalistic duty.
And then, something interesting happened. Drainage! Drained dry. You see if you 're sitting acroooooss the room at Ippudo NY and have a bowl of ramen and get up to use the W.C. without finishing your bowl I ... drink ...your ... ramen! I drink it up! After all, I am a ramen man.
Ippudo NY, 65 Fourth Ave., (212) 388-0088
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