For the past couple of weeks, we have been freezing in NYC with temperatures as low as 6 degrees. Yes, not a typo. With temperatures so low I don’t blame people for wanting to stay indoors. It’s too cold to be out wandering the streets unless good food is involved!
In this cold weather, you need something warm and delicious to fill you up. It’s no surprise that I ended up having ramen each week. No, I’m not talking about cups of noodles(no shade, you can splurge a little. Treat yourself!) but authentic ramen. I recently discovered a neighborhood gem, ROKC. Thanks to my girls Jamie & Erika for bringing me to the restaurant. I also got to try Ipoudo again one of the first places I ever had ramen which started my obsession with pork buns.
The one thing both of these restaurants have in common was the long wait. We waited for our table at Ippudo for over an hour and a half, but it was so worth it! ROKC had an hour wait but was worth every second! New York has ramen places in every borough so it will be my mission to try out more Ramen establishments in the up and coming months. If you have some suggestions, please let me know. I am open to trying anything.
If you’re new to ramen game, let me explain how it works.
- Ramen is a delicious
- According to Wikipedia, Ramen is a Japanese dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat or fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as sliced pork, dried seaweed, menma, and green onions.
- The older, the better. The longer the broth has been brewing, the more flavorful the dish becomes
- Make it spicy. I love adding spice to my ramen bowls but be cautious a little goes a long way.
- Be greedy get the extras add extra meat, egg, veggies whatever your heart desires!
- Bonus Tip:
Get the pork, chicken, or veggie buns! Trust me it‚ was delicious!
Ippudo
Ippudo is a popular ramen spot in the city. There are three locations in the city, and I got to check out the location in the East Villiage. This location is one of the busy places, and there is always a wait. The day we went it was freezing, and the waiting area was cold as well. When we finally got to sit at our table, we were famished. If you come here, you NEED to start with the pork buns!
The pork buns which are called the Hirata Buns on the menu were terrific that we had to order another round! My friend also ordered the vegetable ones, and they were just as delicious. If you are not a pork lover, there is also chicken buns available When it came to ramen; I ordered the Karaka-Men which was the original pork broth with added spice. It came with pork chashu, cabbage, scallions, and fragrant garlic oil. I was too stuffed to order dessert but will give it a try next time.
ROKC
I feel like I fail as a Harlem girl because I don’t venture out enough! Last weekend I grabbed Ramen with some girlfriends at ROKC. They have been raving about this place for over a year, and I finally got a chance to go. Upon walking into this quaint space, I just knew it was going to be good. We went on a Friday night around 8, and there weren’t any open tables. Our wait was an hour for a four-person table. It is a small location, so I knew everything is prepared fresh. We grabbed a drink down the block to kill time since there is no waiting area. ROKC is known for their cocktails and ramen. Both which are amazing.
Drinks:
The mixologist in the house make these fantastic cocktails that are reasonably priced. Drinks run around 10-13 dollars. Everything on the drink menu looked amazing, and I had a hard time narrowing down my options. To start, I ordered the pineapple. Which arrives in a cute gold pineapple, and when the waitress came to our table I felt like I was at a magic show. My drink was poured into the adorable pineapple and then set on fire!
I already knew I wanted this drink because I saw others order this drink that light up, and I was sold. The video below speaks for its self!
Truffle: I know it sounds weird; truffle inside of a drink but what makes the drink is the truffle honey. It’s like a two for one deal with this drink because it comes with a piece of cheese drizzled with the truffle honey. Trust me it is DELICIOUS!
The drink contains Citrus, Harb Vodka, Truffle Honey, Muscat, Grapefruit, Parmigiano Reggiano.
Flower: which came in this frosted light blub. It was a lychee and ginger vodka, which lychee juice and lime
Food:
I also tried the melty pork buns. I feel like I can’t have ramen now without ordering pork buns. Something about this bread is so addicting, its light fluffy and just so enjoyable! These stay true to their name because it does melt in your mouth. I especially loved the teriyaki sauce that was on the meat and the Japanese mayo.
When it came to ramen, I wanted to give the chicken based ramen a chance since I had already tried the pork based. I ordered the Sapporo which was chicken based broth with house miso topped with chicken chashu, corn, bean sprouts, and scallions. As I mentioned earlier, you want to get the extra’s when it comes to ramen. I added braised pork belly and extra spices which were free 🙂
Downtown or Uptown?
Uptown baby! I have to say that I enjoyed both of the dishes at Ippudo, but I’m going to say that ROKC exceeded my expectations. The drinks were on point; the food was exceptional. Next time I go back I plan to try a new drink, and the oysters.
Good Food.Good Company. Good Vibes!
Ippudo
65 Fourth Avenue
New York, NY 10003
ROKC
3452 Broadway
New York, NY 10031
Until next time 🙂
Love ROKC!