GoGo noodles

In celebration of the summer solstice I made myself a cold noodle lunch. The directions on the back of the bag suggested to top the noodles with cucumber, tomato and ham – I didn’t care for any tomato or ham but I did have a cucumber in the fridge, eggs and scallions. Using the picture of the package as inspiration I julienned the the cucumber, the scallions and and the egg that I fried. After I was done assembling the dish I was surprised by how generous the portion was and had to finish it in 2 sessions to avoid falling into a coma after lunch. I was happy to find that the consistency of the noodles are the same as the other Myojo Chukazanmai flavor I had before – which is a firmer and chewier noodle. The noodles also came with a small packet of spicy mustard which had a big kick for such a small amount. The light sesame and vinegar sauce was so tasty! It’s nutty and and sweet and light – perfect for the first day of summer!

This is the sesame flavored noodle that got me into sesame flavored noodles…haha. It’s unfair but I’m normally drawn to instant noodles with interesting flavors so it was a while before I actually tried these even though they were always available. Chicken sesame just sounded so boring and the picture of the noodles looked boring and then I reminded myself that I’m supposed to give every noodle a chance so I did and it was the best decision ever.

The simplicity of noodles is one of the qualities that make it special. I can only imagine how good this would be if it were made of fresh ingredients: fresh thin egg noodles cooked in chicken ginger consomme and then drizzled with sesame oil…drooling just thinking about it. I added just a sprinkle of fried onions to complete the dish.

Ahhh yess…the much discussed Ippudo Ramen. Somehow, we found ourselves in the East Village a lot whether it was for food or shopping. As you pass through the curtains you’re greeted by red walls one of which is adorned with ramen bowls and a counter display of dried ramen blocks and hip bar music. It’s by far the trendiest ramen restaurant I’ve ever been to. Not sure if I was digging it though, sometimes too trendy = expensive food that may be visually appealing but totally lacks flavor.

As the hostess leads you on your journey to your table you’ll get a holla from the entire staff which is fun yet a little embarrassing. We walked by the open kitchen where all the bowls of ramen were assembled. These noodle chefs were moving so fast I couldn’t get a steady shot.
Shiromaru Hakata Classic (Traditional Tonkotsu Flavor):

If you don’t know already, I am really into tonkotsu flavor! The creamy, savory, rich broth is sooo addictive. The tonkotsu here was tasty but not crazy tasty. I don’t know…it was kind of just ok I guess…I mean it was still better than a lot of ramen shops back at home and it wasn’t as yummy as our first stop at Terrakawa ramen. Maybe it was all the hype about this place? The toasted sesame seeds did add a different flavor which was yum and the texture of the noodles were good! Turns out they’re made fresh in house! The egg was good too but still not better than Terrakawa ramen.

Akamaru Modern:

This flavor was a tonkotsu with a twist served with Ippudo’s secret sauce (which looked like bean paste mixed with sambal olek), a drizzle of garlic oil and done in like a miso/tonkotsu combo broth. This wasn’t bad at all but yet not as good as I had expected – my expectations were probably too high after hearing so many raves about this place.

This restaurant was definitely a fun experience and had the most expensive bowl of ramen I’ve had to date ($13 bucks and no combo). The decor was very cool and edgy and I loved the little peek-a-boo window to the ramen noodle machine downstairs. I might come back if there were no other options but I think can pass on this place for a while. There are many more ramen shops waiting out there!

This was my first taste of ramen in the big apple and it was like nothing I’ve tasted before! I was very fortunate to find such a tasty treat on the first shot and bonus that it was walkable from the hotel. My mouth salivated as I stood outside reading the menu. They had a special that looked tasty and a tan tan ramen that called out to me so I had to try. One of the first things I observed walking in was that all the patrons were Japanese which is a really good sign for a ramen shop. Their special ramen is called Terrakawa ramen which is actually tonkotsu ramen. I’m proud to say I think I can now recognize a tonkotsu broth with confidence. To me, what can separate a great ramen shop from a good ramen shop is their combo items like gyoza and chahan (fried rice). When the gyoza and/or chahan are just as delicious as the ramen it can catapult the experience to a place beyond words!
Terrakawa Ramen and Gyoza Combo:

The Terrakawa ramen and gyoza special was amazing. The skin of the gyoza was thin and the bottom had that nice crunchy sear that all good gyoza have. It was juicy and savory aaand juicy….mmm…thinking about it is making me hungry! It was quite chilly in NY back in October so it felt really good to start off the trip with a big hot bowl of ramen. Bonus that it was tonkotsu. There were all kinds of goodies in the bowl like wood ear fungus, plenty of pickled ginger, a generous amount of green onions, bamboo shoots, a slice of pork and the best part: a flavored egg. I’ve never tasted a better egg and I’m still awed by how it was made! Like a tea egg the white was was soft boiled butIt’s currently my new favorite flavor. The noodles were the thin, al dente and whiter not yellower…I’m still not sure what they are called but I’ve had this type of noodle before.
Tan Tan Ramen:

Anything tan tan is normally hit or miss. This was a hit! The balance of savory and sweet was just right and as in most situations it could have been spicier but I’m not complaining, overall the soup was delicious. The noodles that were served with the tan tan ramen were closer to the type of noodles that I like which are chewier.

After this first experience it got me really excited about exploring the rest of the city’s ramen restaurants.

Terrakawa Ramen
18 Lexington Ave
(between 22nd St & 23rd St)
New York, NY 10010
(212) 777-2939

I can’t remember where I found these noodles but I think I bought them in Hawaii at the Japanese super market. 1 packet seasoning powder. 1 packet dried shrimp and bits of green onions and shitake mushrooms. Light broth.

Saying the name of these noodles are enjoyable indeed. Chapagetti! Chapagetti! Mmmm…the gold packaging makes it look officially tasty. Inspired by the noodle bag I added a sprinkle of bite sized red onion and a sprinkle of frozen vegetables.

These noodles came with a packet of oil and a packet of powdered seasoning. Once the noodles and veggies were cooked and drained in went the seasoning and oil and mix mix mix! Think of Indomie Mie Goreng. The powder turned into a thick paste which made it hard to combine. The teeny oil packet was not enough. I could have added more olive oil but I didn’t.

And tada! Here is the result of all that stirring. Doesn’t look very appetizing does it? And honestly, the flavor was ok. Edible…but not as good as restaurant made Ja Jang Mien. The noodles were thick and chewy which are the textures that always agree with me. If you’re wondering what flavor this is, it’s bean paste flavor which is a bit nutty and salty. I’m happy with my decision to add the onions and frozen veggies. The onions and corn balanced this flavor out with a little sweetness. But I’d still eat Chapagetti again just not anytime soon.

Straight from the magical land of ramen aka… Japon! I can’t even put into words how excited I was to consume this rare treat! There wasn’t any English on the packaging which was fabulous because it meant it was authentico. Peeling back the lid revealed 4 seasoning packets! It was like finding gold.

As you can see, there’s a packet of oil, 1 packet of seasoning powder, a packet included dehydrated corn, tako with meat bits and finally the last packet was of dehyrdated cabbage and wood ear. So many ingredients! As soon as I saw the noodles I knew I was in for a treat. These noodles claim to be fresher and healthier because they are dried not fried. And these are special noodle master quality which is the best! (so the bowl claims)

The best thing to use to keep the lid down is a plate. But I’ve also used my small cutting board, books and even a calculator! Grab whatever’s flat and heavy!

Finally! The finished product. I really didn’t know what to expect but when I saw creamy white soup I was ecstatic! The noodles were round, thick, spongy and chewy. The soup was creamy and salty with a sweet finish. MMMM. It was really nice to chow down on big pieces of cabbage and corn. SOOO good. Mental note to self: buy as many instant noodles from Japan while in Japan (whenever that happens).

Hmmm….what can I say about these? Not much I guess…The flavor was familiar and not very exciting. In most instances doctoring up noodles are a win but not this time.

All the extras I added did nothing for the soup except for make it even more boring. The soup was just so blah.

Perhaps I added too much water…after looking at my pictures again. Hmmm. I’d still give it another try – just plain though. At the same time I don’t think I’ll have a craving for these any time soon. Especially with all the noodles I still have to try! : )

Oooo….this was a weird one. I’ve never seen this particular noodle in stores personally. This was part of a noodle bundle that a friend gave me for my birthday. As I started removing the outer packaging, I noticed the words “real beef inside” printed on the corner. A real meat packet inside? Is this an import? If so, how did it get pass customs? Strange. A while back a friend introduced me to Taiwanese instant noodles with real meat which was sooo good. The Taiwanese noodles are hard to come by because customs will confiscate them because of the “real” meat factor. There’s a “seal” printed on the package that says it’s been inspected and passed by U.S. customs that I am not sure about. To continue…I peeled back the lid to find 4 goodie packets (which I have decided were too many in this case). There was the usual seasoning powder & dehyrdrated vegetables, in addition there was a packet of brown paste and a large packet of fully cooked seasoned beef. Oh…and a plastic fork. I dumped all the ingredients into the bowl, added the water and waited. After 5-7 minutes, I peeled off the lid and a surge of steam engulfed my face and the scent of Chinese beef stew filled my nose. Smelled good! Didn’t taste so good though. The soup was WAY too salty and oily. The meat looked like pet food. I took a nibble on a small piece and that was it for me. These were so bad that I could not continue.