John and I went to Terakawa Ramen in Midtown for dinner. It’s the newest location of the Naruto-Terakawa Ramenya and also the most convenient for us. Just a few blocks away from the 59th St Columbus Circle station.
I had no idea this place was going to be so small! The entire restaurant, including the kitchen, was no bigger than our bedroom. The U-shaped bar could seat at most 12 people. More of a lunch or quick dinner spot, not a actual sit down restaurant. It’s all part of the ramen experience. Loved the decor: paper lanterns, ink paintings, colorful ramen posters.
In addition to the regular menu, they had a couple specials that were winning bowls in the recent NYC ramen contest. Uhh, not sure what to make of these… La Salsa Ramen with classic Mexican toppings, including cilantro spelled with an “s”. The Ra-Yu Lime Ramen doesn’t sound too bad, but I wasn’t feeling adventurous that day. Intriguing, but I decided to stick to the classics.
I ordered their Miso Ramen ($9). Soy bean based noodle soup and bamboo shoot, roast pork, bean sprout, boiled egg, scallion, kikurage. Hmm, I thought that soft boiled eggs were no longer permitted in NYC restaurants. Perhaps I’m confusing it with something else. Anyway, I really liked that they presented my ramen on a tray. I noticed a couple middle aged men sitting on the other side of the bar who were also taking photos of their ramen with their phones. Hehe.
Look at that beautiful bowl of ramen. Tender, not mushy noodles. The roast pork and egg were okay. The scallions and kikurage married perfectly with the miso broth. Delightful flavor, gravy-like consistency, not too salty or MSG-ed. I just couldn’t get enough of the broth. All this was only $9. Not bad, not bad at all. I’m almost certain that I’ll be back. Gotta try the Terakawa Ramen (with tonkotsu broth) next time. Ooh, and must try appetizers next time.
John’s not a ramen fanatic like I am. He ordered the Tokyo Fried Chicken Curry ($9.50). The smell of that curry… my goodness, it kept distracting me from my miso ramen. Mmm, very tasty curry.
After dinner, we went to Art Bar for drinks with some friends. Unfortunately, it was a bit crowded and difficult to find space for our group at first. We settled to a nice spot in the backroom. Great selection of $8 cocktails. The elderflower mojito was probably my favorite of the night. Fun stuff. Diana brought black and white cookies and red velvet cookies from Empire Cake. Simply amazzzzzing. I want more of those! Right now!
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Terakawa Ramen, Kips Bay | Let's Nom Nom!
at[…] the arrival of spring, we finally got around to resuming our monthly tradition. We decided to try Terakawa Ramen at Lexington and 23rd St. I’ve visited the Columbus Circle location once, but never this […]