NYC Bites: Hide Chan Ramen & Totto Ramen @ Midtown Manhattan

The Japanese culture is big in the States and ramen has a huge following in this part of town. Whilst chain stores like Ippudo are hugely popular amongst New Yorkers, I wanted to try something a little bit more independent.  During my trip I visited two places which very fitted very well into the category. That was Hide-Chan and Totto Ramen.  Coincidentally though, they were both owned by the same owner (see this article).   In terms of location, whether you live on the East side or the West side, consider yourself covered as Hide-Chan sits comfortably on the East side whilst Totto Ramen covers the West.

Hide-chan was the venue of my first ramen meal with its specialty Hakata Style Ramen!  If you have no intentions to be part of a queue, this was the place to be.  Coming in at 6pm, I was politely offered a choice at the table or at the bar counter.  Needless to say, I took a seat at the counter.  Unfortunately, the counter did not quite offer the view of men working hard to produce piping hot noodles.  Instead it was a normal bar counter. Naturally, my camera went back into the bag until the food came out =/.

It did not take long before a couple of perfectly cooked Gyoza came.  It looked great but in terms of taste, it was rather typical.  Decently marinated mince with all the essential herbs.  Nothing you cannot get elsewhere for sure. 

Then comes my main course, Hide-Chan’s Hakata Style Ramen with Black Garlic Oil.  The broth itself was good, thick and rich.  Just what a good ramen is meant to be.  But with the flavoured oil, it was heavenly.  The garlicky punch in the porky soup elevated this basic Fukuoka-styled Japanese noodle dish to a whole new level.  It made me reminisce my first meal at Menya Musashi.  Absolutely moreish.  

Slurping strands of noodles mouthful after mouthful were all part of the ever rewarding Ramen meal.  What made me a little confused though, was the noodle used.  It felt a lot thinner than what I was used too.  I later found out that the ultra thin and white noodles were common in the region of the Hakata style ramen.  Thankfully, I requested it to be prepared “ a little firm”.  This ensured that I did not end up with sloppy noodles. 

Hide-Chan Ramen closes really late at around 3-4am, so if supper is your sort of thing, definitely drop by then!

Totto Ramen was my next noodle haunt during my trip.  An establishment with queues out of the door which snakes down the street, this was definitely not the place for groups more than 4.  But if you are curious with patience to match, you are in for a treat.

I like chicken noodles but never quite the way the most people do it.  That was until I came here and tried what they call the “Chicken Paiten Ramen”.  To me, it sounded nothing more than a cross between Street Fighter and a Ramen Master creation.  In my mouth though, the soup was so potent in chicken flavour that it had me wonder how was this even possible.  The next closest thing to this was my very own mom’s special chicken essence which she makes 2 bowls from an entire chicken. 

Its condiments were a standard of blow-torched chashu, finely chopped scallions and chicken shreds.  To add my own touch, I chose to top my bowl of noodles with a soy egg and seasoned shoots.  Damn it was good. Springy noodles, fresh scallions, and man I was happy. My only discontent?  The yolk was not brilliantly orange and runny!  Big problem?  Definitely not.  Also, to big fans of melt-in-your-mouth chashu, this did not melt but had a very mellow smokiness that is equally pleasant!

Hide-Chan vs Totto Ramen verdict?  Different but equally good.  A pork broth vs a chicken base should never be a cause for an argument.  This is proven true here as both broth were equally rich, and tasty with its own bragging rights.   Looking for a sub-$20 meal in the Big Apple?  Sorted.

Check out my other Ramen posts:

Dosukoi Ramen @ Allendale Square, Perth

Kai Ramen @ Bull Creek, Perth

Oceans Ramen @ Northbridge, Perth

Nao Ramen @ Murray Street, Perth

Ramen Lab @ Mount Lawley, Perth

Genki SET Japanese @ Den Haag, Netherlands

The Little Ramen Bar @ Little Bourke Street, Melbourne

Ippudo Ramen @ Hong Kong

Hide Chan Ramen @Midtown East, New York City

Totto Ramen @ Hell's Kitchen, New York City

WenY

NYC Bites: Shake Shack @ Grand Central Station

Day one in NYC and I decided to start with a lunch at famous Shake Shack.  This branch was situated in the iconic Grand Central station.  Shake Shack to me is a cross between a boutique burger place and a chain store with a established reputation for its fluffy half open bun packed with a yummy patty.  This makes it sort of fall in the middle.  Meaning was it legendarily unique? or just you know, just plain old good.

Whilst their menu was a page long I decided to go with the fan favourite, the Shack Stack.  True enough, it was stacked the American way with a generous crumbled portobello stuffed with mozzarella, a slice of cheese burger patty, lettuce and tomato.  It was pretty damn big!

Taste wise, I felt a little hesitant to say that I was entirely bowled over by the combination.  The patty was tasty and the shiny bun was really a class over most but I did not quite like the stuffed portobello.  The mushroom by itself was quite bland and with a cheese like Mozzarella, the taste of the mushroom became less apparent.  To taste a real Shake Shack is to start with the basic cheese burger I believe :)!

Then came to the fries, and Shake Shack really shine in this department.  The fries were clearly less processed and tastes more original will little meddling with the potato.  It came out crisp and very yummy!

On a later occasion, I also managed to have a go at their famous milkshakes.  This time, at their very first location in Madison Square Park.  I have to say, their peanut butter shake is the best I have tasted.  The chemistry between the salty nuttiness of the peanut butter and sweet vanilla really won me over.  That was one bad ass shake which was super rich. I died halfway and will insist on sharing where possible.  

Legendary eat?  Perhaps not so, but definitely a good NYC essential.  Something that keeps your appetite as happy as your wallet :).  Also, never forget the milk shake! Its super yummy!

WenY

Bites: Winter Brunch @ Harvest Espresso, Victoria Park

Wet, cold mornings are a hard thing to enjoy but with the company of a hearty meal and friends, comfort is never too far away.  Before I flew off to Houston, my sister and I decided to have breakfast together at Harvest Espresso. As expected another season of creativity began to welcome winter.  The newly introduced Macha Latte started my morning.  Talk frothy milk layer paired with freshly whisked Macha, and I am sold.

At Harvest Espresso, interesting meals are seen aside a long list of sandwich staples.  However, I never go with the staples and always crave for the little experiments Harvest presents.  Today, we had the; 

Lamb Meatballs, cumin yoghurt, preserved lemon, apricots, couscous salad, toasted Turkish bread 

A large serve of meatballs for winter?  You bet.  With a side of couscous and bread, you could enjoy the meatballs whichever way you prefer.  I was a bigger fan of the Turkish bread and dipping it into the meatball sauce was absolutely delicious.  The hint of cumin brought back memories of the delicious summer Shakshouka and made me crave for a thicker, more acidic base for the meatballs.  

Salmon Gravlax, two poached eggs, watercress, potato hash, yuzu kosho hollandaise, togarashi croutons.

Sister’s choice was the salmon.  A pretty combination with nice colours to fend off the wintery gloom. In terms of taste, the salmon was salty on its own, but when you had a bit of everything together, it worked. But enough of me, this was not my dish.  So how did my sister find it?  She said “Ok, quite nice”. =.=!!  

Harvest Espresso still sets the bar for creativity on a plate.  But has inflation caught up too quickly in this Victoria Park institution?  I remember prices starting very early at around $17, and the prices have now crept to $22.50 in 2+ years.  If you solely look at the prices, it would be a clear yes.  But when you consider the creativity, effort and portions, it was every bit worth the money.  In fact, the meal my sister and I had could feed 3.  Yay or Nay? 100% a Yay.

WenY