1 more bite

Ramen: Menkui Tei めんくいてい

Tonkotsu Ramen with Extra Wantons

It’s been a long time coming, I am finally a part of the midtown lunch pack. Though I have lived in Hell’s Kitchen for a good part of my life, eating out in midtown is a whole other realm of culinary distinction. So I start off this new chapter with a post about one of my favorite foods: Ramen.

A little about my ramen history. I can’t say I am an expert when it comes to judging ramen, but I have had experienced the most exquisite ramen in Tokyo. All I can remember from that meal was at the end, I held up the huge bowl with both my hands and staring into the bottom of the ceramic as I sucked down the last of the elixir. A very strong memory.

I haven’t encountered another ramen like that ever again, especially in New York, and trust me…I’ve done my homework and have trekked all over the five boroughs just to find something close to it.

Imagine my delight when I discovered that there are multiple Japanese establishments serving affordable lunches on the same block as my office. Menkui Tei is right under the building I work in. It’s literally 5 feet away from the entrance. So of course, it’s the first place I hit up.

I was pleasantly surprised by Menkui Tei. It’s a small place, crammed with midtown lunchers during the noon hours. Everyone is slurping down soups. It had a small kitchen bar along the right side of the room. As soon as you walk in, you can smell the tantalizing broth wafting from the large pots and see the Japanese old men wrap fresh wantons. It looked promising.

The menu consisted of several types of ramen, from miso to shoyu, but I decided to go with my preferred soup base: Tonkotsu. I added the wantons as extras since I was told it was absolutely the best thing there. Oh, it’s so true. I know wantons. I do, just trust me. And these wantons were delicious! The skin is just light enough to have it’s own distinctive texture and not overpower the pork filling. It was juicy and tasty, with the vegetable and pork at a perfect ratio. It might have been a bit too oily, but I think it’s because I had it added in a pork broth. Oh, and the broth…not bad at all. I find many places to over salt their broth, Menkui Tei had it more on the lighter side, which went well with all their condiments like the bamboo shoots (always a favorite). The noodles were just right, with a al dente texture and bite.

Overall, Menkui Tei served up a pretty decent ramen, far better than half of what I’ve tasted in NYC. Still, their broth still lacked the savoriness that I can’t forget in that perfect bowl of ramen. Where can I find an authentic Japanese ramen? Do they not exist once you cross the Asian border?