Nearly perfect chicken broth shoyu. But just one misstep.
Chef-owner Yohei Ishida opened this tiny ramen shop in 2017 to acquaint New Yorkers with what he calls New Tokyo Style Shoyu Ramen, characterized by a clear shoyu broth made mostly from chicken. Given his background with Ippudo, it’s understandable he’d want to specialize in an alternative to Ippudo’s ubiquitous tonkotsu.
Given my habit to default to tonkotsu, Ramen Ishida seemed like the perfect outing. I went with my sister and we both ordered the signature bowl.
The “New Tokyo Style Shoyu Ramen” had a wonderful clear broth, shoyu with a pork and chicken base and a splash of truffle paste. The flavors were reminiscent of my Tsuta bowl, one of my rare transcendent ramen experiences. The truffle paste was a delightful complement and became more prominent as the meal progressed, but was never overpowering. Tiny bits of truffle remained at bottom of bowl at the end.
The noodles were thin with medium firmness and folded gently in waves. The egg was near perfect, the menma crunchy. A shiso leaf completed the picture.
I was loving this bowl until I tasted the chashu – a slice of pork and two slices of white meat chicken. Both had grill marks, but had minimal flavor and were dry. The pork chashu, to its detriment, had no fat. I got the feeling a lot of care went into this bowl, but that the chashu was an afterthought.
This was unfortunate because if the chashu was at the level of the rest of the bowl, this would have been one of the better ramen experiences I’ve had all year. Other bowls offered included Umami Miso, Spicy Mushroom Pork, several vegan bowls and even a Ramen Salad, with no broth but a choice of dressing.
The pork bun appetizer we had was OK, with slightly juicier pork slices in an OK brown sauce. Nothing special.
Ramen Ishida is a hole-in-the-wall place that seats 8 at makeshift counters. It’s a bit cramped, and there are those red stools again! Service was swift and efficient. As we were dining in early October, Halloween decorations covered the walls (Halloween is a BIG deal in Japan!).
The vibe from the owners and staff is friendly. It’s definitely a worthwhile destination. On my next trip to NYC, I’ll go back and try some of the other offerings, hoping – this time – all the elements hit the mark.
Ramen Club 5-Star Rating System:
Food: 3.75 stars
Service: 4.00 stars
Atmosphere/Comfort: 3.25 stars
* RATINGS LEGEND: 1 star: weak * 2 stars: just ok * 3 stars: good * 4 stars: very good * 5 stars: superb or special *