Ah, ramen again.
The weather in New York has been less than end-of-summer-y, and StB found herself feeling a bit under the weather. So when I asked her to dinner this week, it was only natural that she suggested ramen. Perfect for the chilly, damp and grey weather we’ve been having… even more fitting since this week’s issue of Time Out New York featured… The Ramen Wars. Funny enough, it also contained a review of Ramen Setagaya, but looks liked I scooped them. 😉
Taking our cue from TONY’s article, we decided to hit Minca Ramen Factory. Its location on E. 5th Street between A & B is kind of far from my general stomping grounds, but not so far. There are quite a few interesting-looking restaurants on this block, actually.
StB chose the minca ramen, which she said was pretty good, though she doesn’t like this style of noodle. Personal preference. I believe she liked her broth.
I chose the shoyu ramen, as that is what had been featured in TONY’s article. The broth was labeled as “thick” while StB’s wasn’t, but we soon decided this related to the noodles, as mine were thicker than hers, almost lo mein-like. Not a bad thing, in my book, I loved how they were al dente and just right. The egg was so-so, and the assorted accoutrements were whatever. The broth itself was obviously very complex, with layers of flavors, and very yummy, soothing and just right in this kind of weather. My personal preference is a clearer broth, but this is what I ordered, so I cannot complain.
I want to talk about the pork.
The pork was extremely tender, I was able to tear small hunks off just by pulling with my chopsticks. My main problem was the lack of any defining taste besides “pork”. Perhaps it’d been sitting in the broth too long, but it just tasted like cooked pork with no real flavor of its own. I found it highly ironic that reviews of Setagaya claim the grilling and the grill marks are just for show as that flavor is soon lost to the broth, but I found this to be untrue there, while here, the pork just added depth to the broth but not to itself. Ah well.
Yvo says: Overall, a pleasant experience and not expensive at all (I believe it was $8.50 for each bowl). I liked my noodles a lot, if you like al dente fresh noodles, this is your place. The broth was flavorful and delicious, but I would opt to have my pork left on the side next time to see if that would make a difference. Of course, being where it is, it is unlikely I will return unless someone requests this place specifically; I much prefer Setagaya’s location and pork to this, and as such, will likely become a Setagaya regular over Minca.
recommended
jinius says
my favorite there is the miso ramen. and yes the pork is delicious and so tender.
Keizo says
whoa…that looks good!
ann says
minca’s probably the restaurant i miss the most since moving out of the EV. It makes me sad thinking about all those easy, walkable lunches i had there on cold, rainy days. sigh. maybe they’ll open a bay ridge branch.
Ramen Eater says
I’ll tell you what… Minca is ok but for real tonkotsu wait until ippudo