It has been a while since I wanted to try Ramen Setagaya, not just because I love ramen and hope to try all the ramen places in the City, but also because it is always packed and I was thinking that there is probably a reason for it.
So we decided to go on a Sunday at the opening time, to make sure we would be the first there. We showed up at 12pm and, as planned, were there first. I should mention that it was the day of the Superbowl and so there were not that many people roaming in the street of New York.
Chef Maejima opened Ramen Setagaya in 2000 in Tokyo and few years ago in New York and Fort Lee (NJ). The restaurant in NYC is not a big place, probably sitting 25 people. with a communal table in the middle. According to them, they serve 300 ramen daily.
Their menu offers ramen with meat or vegetarian, as well as cold noodles called Tsukemen. If you are hungry, they also propose appetizers and side dishes. But if you are a fan of pork buns like me, you will be disappointed because they do not have them on the menu. Not that it is a deal breaker though!
Jodi ordered the vegetarian miso ramen:
It was made with soft tofu, a half salt tasted egg, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, cabbage, scallion and onion. When it came, it had this incredible smell that was very appetizing. The broth was good, but had a tad too much garlic.
Also, the tofu was just pieces put on top: fried, it would have given more flavor and some texture.
Also, the tofu was just pieces put on top: fried, it would have given more flavor and some texture.
I went for the Shio Chasumen that is Shio ramen with extra pork:
It was composed of BBQ pork, salt tasted egg, bamboo shoot, seaweed, scallion and scallop powder. The broth is made of chicken, pork and vegetables, as well as Khanh Hoa Salt, which is a natural mineral-rich sea salt from Vietnam. I really liked it: not too salty, light and tasty. The photo below shows you how much I liked it...
The noodles between the two ramen were different (they have three different kinds). The one on the left was in the vegetarian ramen and the one on the right the Shio ramen. In the latter, the noodles were of a lighter color, thinner and a bit more al dente.
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I enjoyed the ramen at Ramen Setagaya, especially the Shio Ramen: it was flavorful and comforting. I am definitely a fan of ramen and I believe this place is another good alternative to Ippudo: good and cheaper! At the time of this post, know that they only took Amex.
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
| * Restaurant Name | |
|---|---|
| Ramen Setagaya | |
| * Overall | |
| ★★★☆☆ | |
| * Neighborhood / Cuisine | |
| East Village / Japanese / Ramen | |
| * Street Address | |
| 34 1/2 Saint Marks Pl., New York, NY 10003 | |
| * Phone | |
| 212-387-7959 |
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