Melanie T.
Google
I had this spot bookmarked when my sister suggested it for a lunch before our Broadway show. It's a Japanese chain known for their dry ramen or abura soba, which are thicker noodles served with sauce. We got there just before 11:30 on a Sunday, when they open, and they were still setting up. It must be a popular place because there were a few other groups waiting with us, and as soon as the doors opened, they had a steady flow of people coming in.
Since we weren't hungry enough to each order a bowl of noodles, we decided to order one, and a few other things to share. We had:
-Kaki Fry (deep-fried oyster with egg tartar dipping sauce) - the oysters were good but I didn't care for the tartar sauce, which was really just like a mayo
-Gyoza - we didn't realize these were deep-fried, especially since the menu didn't specify, and the picture showed pan-fried gyoza. Had we known it was deep-fried, we would have ordered something else, especially since we already had another fried appetizer. But, the filling was standard - fine but nothing to write home about
-Roasted Beef Abura Soba (noodles with roasted beef, raw egg yolk, fried onion, scallion, yogurt, and Chaliapin sauce) - the menu says 'roasted' beef, but it's actually raw, which I liked. I was iffy about the yogurt at first but it turns out this made the dish, along with the sauce. It was the noodles creamy, which was nice against the raw beef and egg yolk. This was especially good with some white pepper and their (homemade?) chili oil
-Homura Don (spicy minced pork, soft boiled egg, and scallion) - these are smaller portions, which was perfect for us since we just wanted to try it. It would have been my second option for the noodles. Unfortunately, I don't think we ordered the right one because the minced pork was dry and a little bland. The chili oil helped a little bit
I would definitely come back for another roasted beef noodle, but I think that's the only thing I'd order.