This is getting embarrassing. I hit up a East Village ramen place at least once a week and I've yet to write anything on them, and here I go again...
Hide-chan Ramen
248 East 52nd Street, 2nd Floor,
New York NY 1002
212-813-1800
I stumbled on a review of this place here:
http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2010/09/hide-chan-ramen-come-for-the-noodles-stay-for-midtown-east-opening-review-nyc.html
and really wanted to try the Hakata Kuro Ramen with the charred garlic oil as it was a flavor I remember from a meal in Tokyo over the summer.
I also the ability to order the richness of the broth was something I had to check out as I find most broths a little on the weak side.
Service & Ambiance: It's a quiet shop since it is in midtown and I was there on a random mid-week, service was good, and we got a quiet irasshaimase. It's a nice looking place, though not with the feel of a traditional ramen shop, which for me some how excites a part of my brain that remembers ramen meals gone by.
Noodles: These were some tasty noodles and were cooked perfectly. They were al dente / kata to begin with, but settled in quickly soaking up the broth.
Broth: The burnt garlic didn't do much for me in this case. The garlic flavor at Misuwa's ramen shop makes me slurp it down quickly. This on the other hand seemed to compete with the broth. The broth was fine but not with the richness of Minca and it's no longer possible to increase the richness.
Egg: Yup it was there. No it wasn't undercooked as I had hoped when I bit in to it, but fine.
Pork: Actually a tasty piece of pork! One of the better I've had. Soft, not over cooked and actually did shine with the addition of the burnt garlic taste.
The extra stuff: The mushrooms, bamboo shoots and scallions were all perfectly balanced.
Did I like it? Yup. Would I go to midtown to get it, nope. But if I'm there, I'll hit it up.
Noodles: These were some tasty noodles and were cooked perfectly. They were al dente / kata to begin with, but settled in quickly soaking up the broth.
Broth: The burnt garlic didn't do much for me in this case. The garlic flavor at Misuwa's ramen shop makes me slurp it down quickly. This on the other hand seemed to compete with the broth. The broth was fine but not with the richness of Minca and it's no longer possible to increase the richness.
Egg: Yup it was there. No it wasn't undercooked as I had hoped when I bit in to it, but fine.
Pork: Actually a tasty piece of pork! One of the better I've had. Soft, not over cooked and actually did shine with the addition of the burnt garlic taste.
The extra stuff: The mushrooms, bamboo shoots and scallions were all perfectly balanced.
Did I like it? Yup. Would I go to midtown to get it, nope. But if I'm there, I'll hit it up.
