Ramen Spots = Yum-Yum

No.1 Mu Ramen

Mu has now become my favorite place to get Ramen. It is by far the best place I have gone to in NYC for ramen. The place is nicely situated in Long Island City off the Vernon-Jackson stop on the 7. It's great because it's on the way home for me from work. First of all, the interior of this place is amazing. It has bar seating and then a long decorative wood table that seats about 20 people communally. They have benches on the side for people waiting and hooks on the walls for all of your stuff.

The Ramen: Miso, Shoyu (MY FAV), Mu Ramen are all fantastic. The broth, noodles and ingredients are all cooked to perfection. They really care about their food and also presentation. Make sure to get the soft boiled egg to go with your Ramen! They Sous Vide it to get it to perfection.

Apps: Tebasaki Gyoza (Fried Chicken Foie Gras) is great if you like Foie Gras. If you don't, skip it. The breading on the chicken and the flavor is spot on, but the texture of the Foie Gras can throw you off. I personally do not Foie Gras, but it was great to try it once. The Okonomiyaki is DELICIOUS. It might sounds not so appetizing, but it so flavorful.

Get there when it opens or prepare to wait a LONG LONG time. But it's so worth it!

No. 2 Hide-Chan Ramen



Hideto Kawahara, a ramen chef based in the Hakata region of Fukuoka, Japan, oversees the steaming bowls at this midtown noodle shop. At Hide-Chan, Kawahara focuses on tonkotsu (pork) broth—a luscious, meaty soup, more cloudy than creamy. The best way to taste it is in the ma-yu ramen, with earthy, crunchy kikuragemushrooms, a sheet of briny nori, raw scallions and bean sprouts, plus bits of carbonized garlic that lend a deep, charred flavor to the soup. There’s also a less sweat-inducing option—chewy chilled noodles, served with a side of spicy, sesame-oil-flavored soba broth for dipping—and worthy add-ons like mini pork gyoza, bound in translucent wrappers and crisped on one side.