Kin Ramen - Manhattan, NYC

I’m no expert on ramen - so take this as you wish.  But lemme tell you…

This restaurant is about to be my go-to ramen spot.

Note*** This is more of a short review on the dish that I was served, rather than an entire introspective restaurant analysis as a whole (like my previous posts).  Important details will still be noted.

Location:

129 W 56th Street, Manhattan (Midtown)

Atmosphere:

To start - the place is super cute.  It’s decorated with a ton of Japanese style accessories and furniture, adding to the ambiance as a whole. It really transports you to a small Japanese ramen shop - or at least I would imagine so (I haven’t been to Japan…yet).  Everything is Japanese themed, covered with Japanese writing and symbols.  It definitely added some allure and visual excitement as you indulge in your ramen dish.  If you’ve read past posts, you know I’m a very visual person.  I love the way aesthetics are formed and intricately crafted to enhance the gustatory sense.  The interior is small, but it’s super cozy. They utilize the space pretty well to accommodate as much as they can.  It’s a great place to come with a small group of friends for a quick bite to eat.  This time, I happened to come on my own.  Don’t be afraid to, because here, they have single seats along a bar on the wall.  The decor on the wall in front of me resembled classic, Japanese windows, which I thought was a nice touch.  Overall, I love the concept here. 

Kara Chicken Ramen

What I Ate:

I got the Chicken / Kara Chicken Ramen bowl for my first time here.  Sometimes chicken ramen can be lackluster with the savory-ness of the taste, but this one was well seasoned.  It wasn’t overly salty and the chicken was cooked perfectly.  The Kara Chicken ingredients included: homemade chicken broth, chicken chashu, half ajitama, bean sprout, bok choy, corn, cilantro, red onion & shallot chips.  There is also an option to make the bowl spicy with their homemade spicy paste and oil. I opted to get this on the side, and thank god I did because this sh** was spicy as all hell.  I literally put a small scoop of it on the tip of my chopstick and mixed it into my ramen - and when I told you I had tears in my eyes… But it was really good, just adjust how much you want to put in depending on your spice level.  I also added more cilantro to my ramen afterwards, because there could never be enough (I’m a big cilantro fan).  The shallot chips, bok choy, along with the onions added a nice crunchy texture to the bowl that I loved.

⭐⭐⭐ Rating:

= 4.8/5