Totto Ramen- NYC
Posted by Quan Lam on May 26, 2011 in Featured, Photos, Restaurants
Tags: Ippudo, Momofuku Noodle Bar, New York City, noodle soup, NYC, ramen, Totto Ramen
This post is by Eat With Me contributor Quan Lam. See more by Quan at Grade A Fresh.
It was worth the many attempted trips to get myself a hot, steaming bowl of ramen. After being featured in a reputable New York newspaper, noodle worshipping worker bees and tourists alike swarmed the Hell’s Kitchen locale of Totto Ramen to see what the fuss was all about. The many who found this hidden gem weeks later would have to wait up to an hour or more while some, including myself, would give up, relinquish a spot on line, and visit on a future date.
That was during the month of January and I did not find myself in Hell’s Kitchen until four months later on a breezy, warm day in May. Of course, it was also during an off hour when those hunting for lunch were already back in their cubicles, trimming the notorious one hour wait to fifteen minutes. I scribbled my name on the list and fiddled around with my phone until a welcomed seat was available.
Lucky for me, I got a front row seat along the counter where I could, in amazement, watch the chefs prepare bowl after bowl of Miso Ramen, Vegetable Ramen, and the like with precision and speed, a skill only mastered after years in the heat of a restaurant kitchen. It is a small dining space, a few steps below street level. It is also not the greatest place for a date or even a leisurely bite to eat. Totto Ramen is all about getting your fill and then leaving so the next customer can take your seat, which is why many visit during lunch when there is only an hour to spare or when a quick, appetizing meal will get you where you need to go.
During my first trip, I ordered the popular Spicy Ramen with scallion, slabs of pork, bean sprouts and a small sheet of nori. The texture of the noodles was unlike anything I have ever eaten before at other ramen hotspots, including Ippudo and Momofuku Noodle Bar. It was denser and chewier, giving the ramen a necessary weight and feeling of fullness that is lacking in most noodle dishes. The spicy sesame seed oil added just the right amount of heat without being overwhelmingly hot while the tender, fatty pork melted almost instantaneously in my mouth. For a fleeting moment, I found myself in a bubble of ramen heaven. If only I could order some pork bun appetizers, a missing item on the menu, I could live in that bubble for an extra ten minutes.
A word of advice for those attempting to make their first visit to Totto Ramen; go alone and go during an odd hour of the day. You will be almost guaranteed a seat along the counter to watch the chefs prepare each and every bowl of ramen. But if you come in pairs or threes, you might have to wait for one of the two tables along the back. Whatever you do, make sure to savor the moment, breathe in the warm steam of flavorful broth and converse with your fellow ramen enthusiast sitting alongside you, because within an half hour, it will be over. Well, at least, until your next inevitable visit.
[...] had the opportunity to write a review of Totto Ramen for Boston-based community food blog, Eat with Me. Check out my article and let me know what you think. Here are some extra photos of my [...]