Menchanko-Tei, Manhattan, NYC

It's nice to know that there are some decent ramen joints in Manhattan. Menchanko-Tei opens till midnight on the Fridays and Saturdays which makes it pretty convenient for a late dinner.

We started off with the grilled gyutan which was quite tasty but unfortunately sliced too thick. It was also slightly overcooked which made it a tad bit tough.

Their signature menchanko ramen is a soy-sauce based ramen served in a pre-heated cast iron bowl. Steaming hot broth, kept warm continuously; this was very much appreciated in the chilly Autumn weather. The ingredients also tasted fresh and even if I wasn't a fan of cabbage, the shreds here were crunchy and sweet.

Soy-sauce based ramens are nice but I was always a fan of the heartier tonkotsu (pork-bone based) ramens. Even though their Hakata ramen is not their signature dish, it was pretty delicious as well. In fact the broth came close to what I used to have at Ken's, the ingredients are pretty simple though with just a few slices of pork making up the meat.

A nice finishing touch to the meal is the draft Sapporo beer. Sure beats its canned or bottled version anytime.

With two accessible locations midtown East and West, Menchanko-Tei makes herself a rather attractive ramen joint to hit when I get those cravings.

D