Ichiran — Restaurant in New York

Ichiran Ramen, one of the most highly-regarded Tonkotsu Ramen shops from Fukuoka, Japan, made its way onto American soil in October 2016. I was able to go visit it shortly before its 1-year anniversary. When I arrived, I realized what a random place this ramen spot was in. Don't expect to do much else in this area except enjoy a bowl of ramen and leave.

I went during the afternoon on a weekday, and it wasn't busy at all. Ichiran is very known specifically for partitioned booths for solo dining, as well as having the ability to fully customize your bowl of ramen from seasoning stock (dashi), richness, garlic, scallions, sliced pork (chashu), spicy red sauce (Hiden no Tare), and noodle texture. They also have add-ons like noodle refilling (Kae-Dama) and extra ramen toppings and sides you can choose from.

This location has 30 partitioned solo booths. When the place gets busy, there's also a large waiting area on the other side of the host counter. When seated, there are hooks for jackets, and they even have hooks underneath the booth for any handbags. The partitions between the booths can be folded away if you dine with anybody else so you can share the counter space. Each booth has all of the information you need from a paper menu to fill out, a history of the restaurant, and styles on how to eat certain items on their menu. There is also a note explaining that this restaurant is a no-tip establishment... how Japanese!

I went with their Classic Tonkotsu Ramen for $18.90, and I customized it according to how they would normally serve it. I also added a Tonkotsu Egg for $2.90. This is an egg cooked inside of their classic tonkotsu pork bone broth and a secret marinade until the egg becomes fully-cooked and seasoned throughout. I also ordered an Ichiran Original Matcha Draft Beer for $9.90. This is an Asahi draft beer with matcha green tea powder mixed throughout.

When I was ready to order, I pressed the call button ahead of me, and I was served right away. I gave them my order with the filled-out paper menu. After a few minutes, my Matcha Draft Beer arrived. It was really green! Then, my Tonkotsu Egg came out. You're supposed to eat this prior to the ramen as the texture and taste of the egg acts as a palette resetter.

The beer tasted normal going down, and it had a delicious green tea aftertaste. Since the Tonkotsu Egg had been cooked in broth, you could actually taste it with each bite through the egg white! I usually have an egg in my ramen, but this was different for me as the egg was actually dry and used as a palette resetter. I was now ready for the main item!

Ichiran really understands that with each passing second in the broth, the noodle actually expands, so they deliver the bowl of ramen as fast as possible. They recommend to take about 3-4 spoonfuls of the broth without any of the ingredients and slurp it down before gradually adding the other items. They say this is to help you understand and experience the various noodle textures and broth intensities.

I didn't understand why they called the Hiden no Tare a "sauce" when it is literally just ground-up spices. It's not saucy at all, so don't expect a rapid change when mixing the spices in. The ramen was definitively delicious, but unfortunately, it didn't have that spicy kick that I enjoy.

The service here was really on point. They worked quickly and were very respectful. For a ramen experience, this was absolutely fun, but it was also very expensive. My sister-in-law is from Japan and would not typically pay more than $10 for a bowl of ramen. This Ichiran bowl itself without the egg or beer was already double that price, even if tips were not wanted.

I did enjoy my time experiencing Ichiran Ramen. The ramen, egg, and beer were all good, but I don't understand why they chose this random area of Brooklyn for their location. If I was a local, I would come here once just to try it, but the price and location alone would have me consistently going elsewhere for...

I went here for the first time with my boyfriend about a month ago and I have to say it definitely is one of my favorite Ramen places. The Ramen is customizable and has such a great flavor that’s the rich and so fresh. The noodle texture is perfect I don’t even give you the option of how you want your noodles cooked. It definitely is more expensive than other Ramen restaurants, however for the experience as well as the authentic taste I would definitely come back and actually did return with my mother last week. The first time I had the experience of sitting at the booth which I really loved and was very different than any restaurant I had been to before, and last week I was seated at a table instead since it was available. Sometimes there can be a wait and I would say most of the time this does happen so in order to avoid that I would say either go in in the early evening or order takeout. The first time I think I waited an hour and a second time I went I waited for about 35 minutes, bring a book or expect to hang out for a bit with the person you’re getting food with if you go with someone of course. What I did find rather strange is their seating wait list. Instead of an a regular restaurant taking down your name, party size and phone number here they decided to just take down your party size and name. Therefore you kind of have to wait around in the restaurant because there’s no way of knowing your table is ready. I understand it can be confusing at times especially if you have to wait over an hour since you would just have to wait around in the restaurant, perhaps in the future they’ll make necessary adjustments since this system definitely needs improvement. Overall though, for the price and wait time, I would definitely go back and I feel like any ramen lover should taste this Ramen at least once to see how they like it.

Tips: -even if you’re not a spicy lover, try getting mild hot sauce. When Customizing your soup, Will ask you how much spice you want and I definitely recommend mild or medium. It gives it a different flavor and a nice touch. -order the vinegar on the side. I think it cost around $1.50 to add onto your Ramen and it’s definitely umami/sour taste that goes well. Even if you don’t end up using the entire thing if you don’t like it, I still think it goes really well with the Ramen and it is worth at least giving it a try -I recommend the Kae dama - noodle refill. -this restaurant is a non-tipping establishment -if you’re seated in the booths, know there is water you self serve near the front. -try the matcha pudding if you like matcha or...

It is a very unique ramen experience!

Ramen: Made by the production line that's directly next to the ramen shop, you can immediately notice IChiRan is not kidding about bringing their Japan brand name and truth tradition to America at the front door. The quality is outstanding. Broth: Adjustable both from very light to very rich. I had the rich broth and it goes very well with soft noodle. The most amazing part of the broth is the Hiden no Tare (Spicy red sauce) that the put in the center. Word of advice is to eat the ramen starting from the center, so you can experience the best spicy ramen in the city! Chashu: Also very good, but I didn't think it was the main character of the ramen - it is the noodle and broth that's killing it! One thing though if you really want good meat to go with your ramen, I strongly advice you to order the Kamadare Yakibutazara (Simmered pork belly with dried seaweed). Not only the fatty pork belly goes very well with the ramen, the seaweed can be mixed and eaten together with the noodle, giving a brand new taste that I never had before! Side: It is a bit lacking, take a look at the ordering sheet attached in the photo section, but if you want other sides you have to order separately and that rack up the bill quickly. I ordered the woodear mushroom, which was okay. Portion & Price: The portion is a bit on the small end, so for those who want to fully enjoy the broth or really hungry, you should really consider order the full Kae-dama (extra noodle). It is a pricy restaurant, in the end I spent $38 on myself, so I probably would make this like a once every few months experience. Also, no tipping allow. Show you appreciation by slipping your soup really, really loud.

If you never been to this restaurant before, you may first notice the booth interior that's unique to the IChiRan. If you are going by yourself or 1~2 friends, definitely choose the...