Ramen Hood in New York

Walking in Manhattan’s SoHo on a bright and delicious Saturday afternoon is a hellish experience.  If I am there to run an errand (Did you know that Swatch gives your swatch free batteries for life?), you’ll find me walking in the bike lane or along side the parked cars as the sidewalks are slow and sluggish with tourists visiting all the stores they most certainly also have at home, gawking at them as if they were natural wonders.  It’s kind of confusing and frustrating to witness.  But while there, I checked out Los Angeles’s Ramen Hood, known for its all-vegan menu of ramen complete with a vegan egg, which is popping up at the Chef’s Club Counter until January.  It was pretty crowded, but I managed to land a window seat table rather than a seat at the introvert-dreaded community table.

In Japan it is customary to slurp your soup as a sign that you are enjoying your meal.  But a slurp is never just a sound. So there–table, phone, fellow eaters in my proximity.  I’m sorry you might have needed a raincoat sitting next to me. The broth is a kelp and shiitake mushroom stock combined with roasted sunflower seeds with white miso. It’s flavorful, achieving that holy umami.  I got the roasted garlic ramen, which has all the components of their O.G. Ramen (the broth, along with King oyster mushrooms, bean sprouts, scallion, chili threads and a sheet of nori… and noodles of course) combined with a small mound of roasted garlic cloves and also bok choy.  (I decided I love bok choy.)

The egg is an additional charge and is a must mostly for the picture.  Read about how they make their vegan eggs here. 

Was happy to check this place out without the transcontinental flight.  Now to battle Broadway again!