Having read about Village Yokocho’s ‘tonkatsu ramen’ in TONY months and months ago, StB and I had wanted to try it but that time had opted for the much-further-walk of Minca Ramen Factory (links to TONY articles contained within as well). We’d opted for Minca that time since Village Yokocho’s ramen was supposedly off-menu and we didn’t feel like trying to figure things out that time…
So after we’d finished our snack at Otafuku, we headed to the Public Theater to get tickets for Yellow Face, David Henry Hwang’s newest play. It was definitely thought provoking, but I’m not going to get into that here! Like I said- a very cultural and diverse day of fun for us!
After the play, we were all starving and headed to Yokocho to meet up with AB. Village Yokocho is actually an izakaya, or Japanese pub, which means lots of small plates, yakitori (grilled skewers), and just a wide variety of food to satisfy nearly anyone, and a nice selection of beers, sakes, and some interesting cocktails. Nearly all of us opted for Yokocho cocktails and we all found them really yummy, not too alcoholic either.
Since we hadn’t gotten okonomiyaki at Otafuku, BB suggested we order it here ($8).
As I was eating it, I kept crunching into what I thought was cauliflower but turned out to be cabbage. Suddenly a lightbulb went off in my head and I exclaimed, “Oh! I wanted to try this dish since I saw it on Lunch in a Box!” Duh. Anyway, okonomiyaki is cabbage pancake, with lots of other things strewn throughout it; this one had eggs, bacon, seafood, and a bunch of stuff. The side dish contains Kewpie Mayo, a popular Japanese condiment (it’s sweeter than regular mayo, and freaky expensive at Japanese stores). Since we were all hungry, we dogged this, and were pleased when our ramen dishes- which nearly all of us ordered- arrived shortly after. (I note here that it took forever to get our food, though.)
I quickly dug out the pickled ginger from my bowl since I don’t like ginger. The pork was apparently cold, but since I heard my dining companions remark this, I plunged it into the steaming hot soup and let it warm up gently, while I dug into the noodles. Mine were perfectly cooked, though StB to my right complained about them not being so great. But let me get to the two important things, in ascending order:
the pork was super tender, fatty and delicious. I mean, wow, it melted in my mouth, that’s how tender it was. I liked it a lot, and didn’t find the two thick slices to be too little at all.
Most importantly, however, is the broth. My goodness, the depth of flavor in this broth; I won’t say it was complex but there was a lot going on and all of it blended to make exactly what I wanted it to be as I sipped it. Definitely a jewel of a find at a place not known for ramen. At only $7 for the bowl, it’s the cheapest place in the East Village for ramen. True that there aren’t as many mix-ins as at other places, but I really don’t like the egg they usually toss in, and this was just right, just enough. With the okonomiyaki, I was full and perfectly sated at the end of the meal. (I probably could have forced myself to get an ice cream afterwards, though… but it was pouring rain so we opted to head our separate ways instead.)
Though I remain unmoved from my loyalty to Ramen Setagaya, I can definitely see this place becoming a regular haunt. With its multitude of other stuff to eat- particularly for those times when you want ramen but your friend wants yakitori, which is uncommon at most ramen places as they appear to usually specialize in the ramen, I will definitely be here. Even on a Sunday night, we got there at a quarter to 6 and wound up getting the last big table, when we left, a line was forming to wait for tables. (And the clientele included a lot of genuine Japanese people, which always makes me feel like a place is genuine!) I would rank this in a solid 2nd place to Ramen Setagaya.
Yvo says: Definitely check this place out, if not for the ramen, then for the multitude of other dishes. I am definitely going back and this may replace Kenka (around the block) as my regular izakaya. The tonkatsu ramen is recommended particularly for ramen lovers, at least try it once.
recommended
StB’s review
jinius says
i love yokocho but it’s always so crowded during the weekends. and i agree, setagaya has amazing ramen. and i stopped going to kenka because the last time i was there some nyu kid drank too much and puked at the table or something like that.
Anonymous says
I like Village Yochoko but man the service is slooooow. No way are you eating within 10-15 minutes of ordering. Food is always decent though, not to mention it’s in the same space as Angel’s Share.
Sarah says
This used to be a favorite haunt of ours years ago. Have you been to Angel’s Share bar? (The entrance is in Village Yokocho.)It used to be one of our favorite cocktail bars, but we haven’t been since the founding bartenders left to open B Flat.