Last updated on February 13, 2016
Manga and anime is considered a culture in Japan. They are not only for kids, but also for adult. And I grow up with them. I should say heavily educated by them. No, I’m not talking about Pokémon, Sailor Moon, Gundam or even Dragon ball Z. Although those are the better known series with Americans, they are not the best quality. Some of those content are, what I would consider, not appropriate for children. All those battles, war, fighting, whatever the original intention was, kids only absorb violence. The kind I’m referring to are more “soft-hearted”. A little more context, somewhat more meaningful, and more inspiring. One particular series I rushed home from school for was “Mister Ajikko” by Daisuke Tersawa. The story is about a young culinary prodigy- Ajiyoshi Youichi, his passion for cooking and his path to becoming a great chef. The series often feature culinary competitions between this young boy and other well established chefs. Rumor has it that this manga series is the inspiration behind the wildly popular “Iron Chef”, which itself inspired other cooking competition reality shows.
It would be a different style/ type of culinary in each episode, Italian, French, European, Chinese, and of course, traditional Japanese. I remember how Youichi travelled everywhere in search for the best bamboo stick for Yakitori. There was an episode about how to make the best dumpling. It’s ridiculous that one person can master all different kinds of culinary, but at least it portrayed a glimpse of the hard work of any chef and their dedication to their art. For example, there were several episode entails how to make a good bowl of ramen. The ingredients and time that was put in to making a good broth; the temperature of the water when cooking the noodle; most importantly the art of making ramen. Most ramen chefs, I mean “real” ramen chefs spend their lifetime refining the technique. These anime leave a distinctive impression in my mind. And I have the upmost respect for a good bowl of ramen.
The NYC ramen scene is very crowded, and still rapidly growing. And the one place that claimed all top critics’ list currently is Mu Ramen. I have to admitted, we have been putting off Mu ramen. Mu ramen does not take reservation, and I heard there’s quite a wait. With some planning, we arrived at Mu ramen at 5:15p on a weekday. Doors open at 5:30 and there’s already a line. There are 16 seats with 8 bar stools, Mu ramen is a cozy spot. Open kitchen pair with noodle bar; long commute table, with a “rock” garden dividing the two sides. Look carefully, the rocks are talking to you.
There are a couple new item on the menu. “Peel N Eat” shrimp and a cold noodle “Hiysahi Mu”, and we also ordered the very “instantiated” Tebasaki Gyoza (chicken wing with foie gras), and Tonkotsu. And of course, U & I….
Peel & Eat
No “Mu”ssels tonight, but there are shrimps. Shrimp came in a “Chinese take-out box” with head on. The spicy cocktail sauce is very good. Not too sweet and packs a kick. However, shrimps are tasty enough by themselves and no sauce is needed. May be they can think about serving yuca fries with the sauce? I’d totally order it. Shrimps were tasty and fresh enough. But I felt that it was undercooked a little bit because the shell did not come off easily. Nevertheless, it was very good.
Tebasaki Gyoza (14)-deep fried chicken wings stuffed with foie and brioche
Chicken wings however….. was only hype and no smile. Over-coated and very greasy.😒
U&I (24) – uni, spicy maguro, ikura, rice, sesame roasted nori
This is a Chirashi but not a Chirashi. It has all the ingredient of a chirashi but not with sushi rice, just regular rice…. Think Korean style. Everything was very fresh. The bowl could be a little bigger but it’s a still a deal.
TONKOTSU 2.0 (15)- “tonkotsu” pork based soup topped with chashu pork jowl, kikurage, menma, and scallions
The traditional Tonkotsu— ramen was perfectly cooked, even after the ramen have been sitting for a while. The chewiness is still there. And it should be that way. Noodle’s body should be able to maintain throughout the time to consume the whole bowl. Broth is rich, and deep. With drips of black sesame oil, it added aroma, the broth seems a bit greasy. The Pork is way too fat though. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good slab of pork belly. But the pale white fat just give me a mouth of grease.
Hiysahi Mu(R)
While the Tonkotsu is a bit oily, the cold noodle is the perfect counterbalance for us. And a great ending note of the night. Cold noodle is a blessing in Summer time, and this one is awesome. Its clean and fresh with a bit of sweetness. My only wish for it is maybe add some fresh wasabi to spice it up, and slice the “ham” thinner?! Noodle is the right texture but overall very happy with this.
While the two most hyped items seem to be a miss for us, the two brand new items were a hit. Is it worth the trip? Maybe. With the waiting time, if it is 2 hours? Maybe not. But I didn’t have to wait. So get there early if you are going. (June, 2015)
PS. My apologies for the subpar quality pictures….
Be First to Comment