During a 6 hour layover in New York City, we took the opportunity to hit up a couple of ramen spots in the Lower East Side neighborhood. If you’re a ramen enthusiast, then you may have already guessed that Ivan Ramen was one of our destinations! For those who are not familiar with Ivan Ramen, it is a ramen shop run by Chef Ivan Orkin whose ramen is internationally recognized as the best in the world. A native New Yorker, Chef Orkin’s original stores were in Tokyo, Japan before he moved back to the U.S., wrote a cookbook, and opened up Ivan Ramen.
Exactly how good is Ivan Ramen?? Well, nothing beats his unconventional, famous noodles!! The noodles are made from scratch by varying the amounts of water, toasting the flour before blending them, and combining different flours like rye and wheat for another layer of flavor. Chef Orkin believes that a good bowl of ramen should have a lot of balance and harmony as if the noodles were meant for the soup and the soup was meant for the noodles. This was certainly deemed true as we sampled the Tokyo Shio Ramen, Tokyo Shoyu Ramen, and the Triple Pork Triple Garlic Mazemen. From the tender pork belly that melts in your mouth at every bite to the intricate balance of dashi in the broths and the toothsome rye or wheat noodles, each bowl captivates your palate at every possible angle. Even the roasted tomato, an umami bomb, was a well thought out topping. A member of our group who is relatively new to the ramen scene was blown away from this experience. He said in his social media post, “Ivan Ramen’s Triple Pork Triple Garlic was absolutely appetizing! It was only then when I was truly able to appreciate a bowl of noodles…After finishing my delicious bowl I wanted to take theirs [my friends’] from their hands.” Of course, we didn’t let him!
So, Ramen Junkies, what should you do the next time you’re in New York or have a 6 hour layover?? We’ll give you a hint. It starts with “Ivan” and ends with “Ramen!”