Chuko

Usually I like to visit ramen joints in Manhattan because that’s the borough I live in. However, after reading reviews about a great ramen shop in Brooklyn I had to check it out to see what the hype was about.

I went to Brooklyn with a friend of mine around 5 in the afternoon on a Friday and stepped into Chuko, a small, minimalistic, modern space. There is a bar on the right side, bench seating on the left, and tables in between. We were seated immediately at the bar and we were served by an attractive host with a smile that mesmerized us. She showed us which ramen she recommended (kimchi ramen) and left for us to decide, but we spent more time debating whether she is half Asian or full.

We tried their beer tap which was Belgium white wheat beer and it was really great and smooth. The gyoza we ordered for appetizers came in 6 pieces. The goyza is filled with a small amount of hot soup, pork with green onions and I recommend eating with caution and take one bite at a time than eating it with one bite. Unless you want to burn your tongue like I did.

The menu is quite simple with 4 ramen options. The ramen I ordered was the pork bone soup ramen. When the ramen arrived, I sipped the broth-- which was savory and not too thick. The veggies were fresh, the roast pork were smoky and copious, and the egg perfectly soft-boiled. But as I was eating the noodles and trying to get the right combination of all of the ingredients, everything just felt unbalanced. The soup wasn't quite salty enough (at least not until I got to the bottom of the broth in my bowl) and the ingredients just felt like they weren't seasoned very much.

The service was great. The only downside is that this place is cash only, with an ATM near the restroom with a high service fee charge. I recommend bringing enough cash for a good meal!

Overall Chuko was decent, but I feel like the hype from people in Brooklyn who tried the ramen here were overrated. I think it is all due to the unbalance taste of the ramen with the combination of ingredients in the bowl that made me not so thrilled about wanting to try another bowl here.

Location:
565 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238

More information at: http://www.barchuko.com/chuko-ramen/