Totto Ramen

Totto Ramen is a solid little ramen joint in Hell's Kitchen. A tiny little shop down a flight of stairs, this restaurant quickly brings out tasty bowls of hot ramen in chicken broth. I came here during a humid summer evening (around 7 PM) in August and the wait for two people wasn't too bad, about 15-20 minutes. We got seated and orders were quickly taken. I ordered the Mega ramen and while my friend got the Miso ramen. The food came out within five minutes which overall was a super quick turnover time.

While I am a fan of chicken broths, I feel that they lack the richness that a proper pork tonkotsu broth can offer. The miso ramen was good due to the added flavor and depth that comes with the aged bean paste, while I feel that the basic chicken broth was, while rich, not quite as complex.

The noodles were perfectly cooked, al dente with the right amount of bite to them. After finishing the noodles with the portion given to me, I actually ordered another helping and down those quickly too. I know what you’re thinking. How could I get another helping when I already finished a Mega bowl that was bigger than the regular sized ramen they were serving? Well I was probably really hungry that evening.

The char su pork here was not as tender as other ramen joints, but had a nice chewiness to it. The Mega ramen was piled high in your standard strips, chunks of pork, and something akin to pulled pork. Each individual pork belly piece was seared with a handheld butane torch to add a bit of zest to it.

The roasted garlic, which was generously added on top, added some great flavors to the broth. The green onion was fresh and vibrant to help cut the richness of the rest of the food. I elected to add on some bamboo and it was pretty standard.

Overall, I like Totto Ramen, but I can't say that it's the best bowl in the city. Still a solid bowl if you're in the area!

Location:
248 E 52nd St, New York, NY 10022

More information at: http://www.tottoramen.com/