Tony Johor Kaki Travels for Food · Heritage · Culture · History

Food Explorer Storyteller with 63 million+ reads 📧 johorkaki@gmail.com

Ivan Ramen in NYC New York Lower East Side

Ivan Ramen is one of the most raved about ramen shops in New York City.

Ivan-Ramen-NYC

Stepping into Ivan Ramen, I can't help but be excited by the hip decor and buzz inside.


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I had to step back outside and waited 30 minutes before getting a seat as Ivan Ramen was full. (Best to make a reservation at (646) 678-3859, if you are planning a visit.) Others waited up to an hour and a half. The staff were very gracious and very pleasant in managing the line.

Ivan-Ramen-NYC

I got a seat at the bar after 30 minutes as promised ;-D

Ivan Ramen is compact though relatively large for a ramen-ya (shop). Still, we were sitting elbow to elbow due to Ivan Ramen's popularity.

There is also nice covered patio type "outdoor" seating at the back of the shop.

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Bar seats are my favourite as I love to watch the chefs at work.


The colourful mural over the bar was very interesting. It made me hungry from anticipation.

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Ivan Ramen's Tokyo Shoyu Ramen at USD15 (before tax and tip).

My ramen was served very fast, within 10 minutes of making my order. I like that little cone of shredded fresh spring onions (scallion) garnishing the ramen bowl.

Ivan-Ramen-NYC

There was only one small slice of pork belly chashu (most places serve 2 slices). It was tender and nicely savoury sweet. However, it lacked an additional layer of savoury flavour as it was not torched. (Most places torch their chashu before serving.)

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I like Ivan Ramen's half ajitsuke tamago (which is slow poached and flavoured egg) with their ramen.

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Ivan Ramen serves chicken broth with soy sauce and dashi. The broth had a nice medium body, smooth texture and the right intensity of savouriness. But, there was no sweetness in the broth to balance the savouriness resulting in a soup that tasted relatively flat to me.

Garlic oil was missing which could provide another layer of savouriness and aroma.

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The skinny noodles were soft al dente with traces of sponginess. They were a touch softer than my preference. Made with rye, I couldn't detect the grain's flavour in the noodles.

Ivan Ramen is one of the hippest NYC ramen shops that I have visited. It had all the right vibes but it wasn't among the best bowls of ramen that I have tasted in New York City.

Next time, I want to try Ivan Ramen's Spicy Red Chili Ramen.

Ivan-Ramen-NYC

Restaurant name: Ivan Ramen

Address: 25 Clinton Street, NYC New York (Lower East Side)
Maphttp://bit.ly/IvanRamenJK
Hours: 12:00 to 3:30 pm, 5:30 pm to 12:00 am

Date visited: 2 Jan 2015


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