My 6-7 month (As of May 2015) ramen and other Asian noodle bowls obsession all started in Boston, but I soon thereafter traveled to Paris.
I always take a trip, typically, an international trip for my birthday, and birthday #35 was no exception.
The first bowl of ramen I experienced was simply a shock to the system because I didn't realize that the person I was staying with lived in the section of the 1st Arrondissiment, which is an Asian-French neighborhood boasting a variety of Asian delights from sweet bakeries to savory ramen and gyoza shops.
We only ventured a few blocks from her apartment to sample my first bowl of ramen in Paris!
The broth was thin, but flavorful, the veg abundant and fresh, with slabs of pork.
The gyoza at this joint was the real star of the table.
Higuma is one of Paris' Asian chain restaurants and I was much more impressed with their offerings. I visited the one in the Opera neighborhood at 27 Boulevard des Italiens.
The broth was spicy, the veg bright, crisp, and abundant. It was vibrantly colored and they didn't spare on the seafood- calamari rings, shrimp, even bits of tender pork.
Service was upfront, somewhat quick, and polite.
Miami, Florida
I must say that I was the very least impressed with the ramen at Momi Miami. I'd read a few reviews early this year while I was in South Florida visiting family and escaping the bitter Boston winter for a few days.
I was unable to get there back in January, but knew that it was the first place I wanted to head to after my flight arrived.
My mother and I planned a spa weekend on South Beach and I looked forward to starting it off sharing one of my recent food obsessions.
The Tonkotsu broth was not the slick, creamy broth one would expect from broth may from boiled down pork bones and marrow. There were no beautiful fat droplets. I ordered the pork belly ramen and even that was a let down. I don't think I've ever had dry pork belly. Where was my fatty layer? I wanted to demand a do over. Survey the kitchen for what could have possibly gone awry. I'd been thinking about Momi for months and being that it was the first thing I sought after landing from Boston, made the disappointed a much harder blow.
My mother order the Peking duck ramen and experienced the same-dry, chewy duck meat!
NYC
Momofuku is a ramen-lover's dream! Service is supreme and so are all of the dishes we sampled. You can read my full review, here.
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| Classic Momofuku Ramen |
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| Spicy Miso Ramen |
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| Ginger Scallion Noodle Bowl (Mazeman) |
Grandma's Dim Sum (Queens, NYC)
Me and my best friends since childhood come together to eat around NYC every 3-4 months or so. During our last visit in March, we focused on Asian restaurants around Queens.
We had plenty of great dishes at Grandma's Dim Sum, however, the beef noodle soup was just so-so with good noodles and beef, but the broth was a let down.
Read my full review, here.
Quincy, MA
I adore this place. Quick and friendly service and great soup! My recent favorite is the Pho Bo Kho, a spicy beef stew with large slices of carrot and lemongrass.
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| Pho Bo Kho |
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| Pho Bo Kho |
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| Pho Chin Nac |
I returned from Paris the week of Thanksgiving and was way too tired to join anyone's family for a festive dinner, so decided that hot pot would be a great alternative.
Boston, MA
Totto Ramen has 3 locations around NYC. I love the Boston location. Watching the cooks preparing noods and torching pork is quite the treat when sitting at the noodle bar.
Their broth is full of flavor and their is an abundance of toppings from which to choose.
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| Char Siu Pork Ramen |
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| Paitan Ramen- straight noodles cooked in chicken broth |
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| Spicy Shredded Char Siu Pork Ramen |
Pikaichi is one of my latest favorite spots to grab a bowl of ramen when I'm craving it the most!
Their Spicy Miso ramen has a luscious, dense consistency and great flavor. Their noodles are perfectly toothsome. I always add an extra butter cube!
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| Spicy Miso Ramen |
Chef Mark O'Leary is one of my favorite chefs in Boston. He's talented and down to earth. His creations can be mind-blowing and his ramen in no exception.
Have you ever had squid ink ramen noodles? No? He did that! You can read my review of my last review of dinner at Shojo, here.
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| Squid Ink Ramen noodles! |
Jersey City, NJ
Union Republic is one of the places I go to before leaving NYC or NJ.
The nose-to-tail ramen with seared, sliced pig's heart, crisped pig's ears, and pork belly is phenomenal!
I could eat the crisped pig's ears every day of my life!
You can read my full reviews here and here.
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| Nose to Tail Ramen |
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| Spicy Ramen with chorizo, citrus yogurt, shredded daikon radish, and a soft egg |
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| Breakfast Ramen (Mazeman)- Pig's ears and Egg |
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| Breakfast Ramen (Mazeman)- Pig's ears and Egg |
Philly
Iron Chef Morimoto's first U.S restaurant still looks very 1999. It's like walking into a time machine. There are sleek lines on the translucent tables and booths. The neon lights that change color every so often are confusing and kind of "sleazy Miami night clubish". The phallic wavy carving in the walls made us giggle a bit, but the food! The food coming out of this kitchen is brilliant. Full review coming soon.
Here are ramen shots!
Cambridge, MA
Sapporo Cambridge
In the C Mart food court, Sapporo is slinging some damn good ramen. Full review coming soon!
Washington, DC
Daikaya
Daikaya serves a great variety of broths from classic Shoyu and Spicy Miso to Mugi-Miso (a barley miso broth) and a 100% Vegan Broth!
They finish the soy beans and veggies in a wok adding smoky notes that adds to the depth of flavors in the broth.
I thoroughly enjoyed my bowl and their pork gyoza were hearty and flavorful as well.
Boston, MA (South End)
The Beehive
Not known for their ramen, but rather their live music in their sexy grotto space, Beehive's menu has always boasted multi-cultural dishes.
I had friends visiting from out of town (Atlanta) and my college friend, Cynae Tarver and I both ordered the dish. Her colleague, Montez ordered a largely portioned classic roasted chicken dish.
Mazeman style (the noodles were not covered in broth, just barely bathed in it), their noodles were perfectly toothsome with bouncy give. It was topped with a more than generous amount of pulled pork, beautiful watermelon radish, pickled onion, and greens.
The buttery sauce and broth was so rich and delicious, Cynae absolutely needed more. Initially, we were told it was impossible, but then came an angel from the kitchen informing us there had been a terrible mistake, we could have extra broth after all!
To quote a Facebook post made by Sapporo Ramen in Cambridge:
"Ramen is nature's way of making up for Mondays."
