The buzz: This 35-seat venture is celeb chef and Tokyo Ramen King 2011 Keisuke Takeda’s latest project. The man is already known for popular noodle houses such as Keisuke Tokyo and Tonkotsu King (just a short walk away and one of our favorite ramen joints).
The vibe: Old school Japanese, with movie posters from the ’60s and ’70s plastered on the walls. A long communal table runs down the center of the space adding to the convivial atmosphere.
The food: Unlike most other ramen establishments, the broth here is not pork- but tori- (chicken) based using ingredients like chicken bones, chicken feet, Japanese seaweed and different vegetables boiled for at least eight hours. The menu is compact with only three flavors to choose from: original (from $11.90), black spicy (from $12.90), with a hit of black pepper, and green spicy (from $12.90), which has a dollop of wasabi sauce. Each is served with a chicken thigh that’s first boiled, then grilled. You tick your order off a simple menu, where you can specify how firm you want your noodles and the intensity of the soup. There’s a free flow of hard-boiled eggs and bean sprouts too.
The drinks: A real basic list of Sapporo beer ($7.50) and oolong tea ($2).
Why you’ll be back: For a filling bowlful of cooked-to-order noodles free of porcine products in a retro cool setting.
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