Angela and I visited Rockmeishafor our November ramen fix. It’s in West Village, but it’s tucked away on one of the quieter streets. The moment I stepped into Rockmeisha, I immediately fell in love. What a cute place!
Much to our dismay, Rockmeisha only has one ramen bowl on the menu! I was very surprised as Rockmeisha usually mentioned in top 10 ramen lists. There’s an entire page on the menu dedicated to their Chashu Ramen ($14). There’s no mention of what kind of broth or toppings, but that’s okay… I like being surprised. The rest of the menu consists of sushi and Japanese small plates.
As always, we ordered the kara-age fried chicken as a starter. It was $9, which is steep compared to the kara-age at other ramenya. The kara-age itself? I hate to say it, but this might be the worst kara-age I’ve had in NYC. Doesn’t look all that appetizing. Too greasy, and the batter was too thick. Meh, it seemed like a crude attempt of karaage. It was disappointing. Thank goodness we had an entire of beer to rinse it down.
Alright, Rockmeisha, let’s hope your ramen does not disappoint, especially as it’s a $14 bowl. A tad bit steep if you ask me. Tonkotsu broth, thin noodles, charshu, scallions, ginger and sesame seeds. Lovely presentation.
The karaage may have been disappointing, but their chashu ramen totally hit the spot. The broth reminded me very much of Ippudo’s Hakata Classic (also $14). Oh man, creamy tonkotsu packed with porky goodness. Think melted butter. So good with the scallions. Thinly sliced charshu. Tasty and delicate, but didn’t quite impress like the broth did. The thin noodles were cooked perfectly. I enjoyed them, but Angela mentioned that thick curly noodles would have been nice too. Overall, rich, hearty, porky, BUT very refined. Don’t slurp it down. Nibble and sip slowly. Savor. Every. Moment. Bonus: no MSG attack after I finished eating.
Ippudo and Jin have been my favorites for quite some time now. Think I’m going to have to add Rockmeisha to that list. If you’re craving the refined Hakata style ramen and willing to pay $14 for a bowl of yummy goodness, you might as well skip the crazy line at Ippudo and check out Rockmeisha. It’s too bad they only have one type of ramen on the menu.
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