Rai Rai Ken
214 East 10th Street
between First and Second Avenues
New York, NY
212/477.7030
While
Rai Rai Ken reminds me of the Japanese movie
Tampopo, it is my quick trip to Tokyo a few years ago that always comes flooding back whenever I enter the shop for a simple bowl of
ramen. Separating the banners overhead at the door, I immediately get transported back to winter Japan; its narrow space and wooden bar remind me of cold cheeks and frozen hands after my usual bike commute through the suburbs of Tokyo. Their simple menu offers three kinds of
ramen bowls:
shoyu, a soy sauce-based broth,
shio, seafood-based, and
miso, made of soy beans, all served with bamboo shoots, spinach, roast pork,
nori (dry seaweed), and scallions, topped with the ever-so-Japanese pink fish cake. Long strands of
ramen noodles that require pulling, twirling, and slurping complete the package. You can order fried vegetables and pork
gyoza (dumplings) on the side, as well as
edamame (boiled soy beans) and white rice. Sapporo and Kirin beer overflow for those who want to extend their stay.
In New York City, temperatures do not drop like they do in Japan during the winter months, but it is nonetheless cold. It is so cold, only an imaginary trip back to Japan at
Rai Rai Ken can warm me up.