Union Republic: More Than Just Ramen, Jersey City, NJ (Now Closed)

 














I was so excited to learn of a place serving great ramen in my home state.  Of course I could easily cross into NYC just 20 miles from the door of the home where I grew up for ramen at Momofuku (which I did the next day in fact), but to discover Union Republic in my backyard was a treat and source of pride.

 I have been on a ramen kick for about a month, so everywhere I've traveled within the last 30 days (Including Paris), I've been on the look out.

Though Union Republic, Chef Gregory Torrech and Noah Sexton's second Jersey City venture, has great ramen options, we sampled other great dishes.

The space upon entering has a quaint cafe feel with chalkboard menus.  Then it opens up into a much larger space with an open kitchen, chef's bar, more formal, yet comfy seating and high ceilings.  Across the room was a area with long high tops where everyone shared a staff meal and I imagine patrons can sit with their laptops and lattes.

 We were greeted warmly and seated against one of the tall windows.

I eventually chat with Chef Ryan (who's favorite Boston spots include Drink and Toro) and co-owner Chef Greg Torrech as they prepared food in the kitchen.  

Chef Ryan preparing warm octopus salad.  Co-Owner/Chef Greg Torrech preparing pasta.

The Menus 

  

We started with a perfect Scotch egg made with UR's housemade, perfectly seasoned Lincolnshire sausage, crisp panko breading, and housemade smoked whole seed mustard.  
The arugula and baby spinach salad featured slivers of celery that I just could not get enough of with a sweet brine and perfect crunch.  I love Scotch eggs and this was one of the best I've had.

Scotch egg

The warm octopus salad was not only beautiful in presentation, but flavors.  The octopus was amazingly tender.  I loved the roasted, buttery fingerling potatoes, sweet grape tomatoes, and chorizo that I would have liked to be more spicy.  All were tossed with a light vinaigrette over fresh arugula and spinach salad.

Warm octopus salad

The Ramen

I ordered the Spicy Ramen with chorizo, citrus yogurt, shredded daikon radish, and a soft egg.  The broth was rich and dark with a hint of spice.  The citrus yogurt added a brightness that was appreciated.  The noodles (procured from longstanding SunNoodle in Edgewater, NJ) were perfect!

The Nose to Tail Ramen was terrific.  Everyone knows how much I adore offal and nose-to-tail dining.

We talked about the crispy, crunchy slices of pig's ears for hours after dinner and a bit the next day!  It also included pork belly and seared heart.  The culture-meshed Sofrito-Shoyu broth was full of flavor and depth.

Nose to Tail Ramen with crisp pig's ear slices, pork belly, and seared heart.

The kitchen sent out a lovely creme brulee which served as a perfect end to a great dinner!

The cafe also sells locally-sourced artisan products.  It's just a feel good, comfortable kind of place.

Union Republic is definitely on my must do list whenever I'm on NJ/NYC from now on. 

Check out their New Year's Eve dinner menu: