It’s Just About Time For Some Cold Ramen (and Men Kui Tei’s Version is Worth a Try)
My friend just recently discovered the wonderfulness of ramen in the form of spicy chicken ramen at Cafe Duke (on 51st btw. 6+7th). As any good friend would do, I immediately decided to introduce her to some of the ramen shops near her work so that she wouldn’t be stuck with Cafe Duke. The first place I took her to was Men Kui Tei (56th btw. 5+6th). I’m a fan of the one in the East Village and thought it would be a great place to start. While going through the menu trying to figure out what to order I noticed they serve hiyashi (aka cold) ramen. So far the only place in Midtown I’ve had hiyashi ramen is at Sapporo, and there it’s a treat only served in the summertime. But Men Kui Tei serves it year round! And seeing as how it is one of my favorite foods I had to try their version.
The hiyashi from Men Kui Tei ($8.50) was topped with roast pork, bean sprouts, shredded egg, cucumber, picked ginger and a piece of fake crab stick with a spoonful of mustard on the side. The toppings were excellent, especially the amount of pickled ginger they put on top (I can never get enough of that stuff.) The ramen was a little chewy and when I got to the bottom (where the ramen had been soaking in the broth for about 30mins) it was quite salty. Overall it was still tasty and I understood the saltiness at the bottom was partially my fault for getting it to go. Maybe next time I’ll ask them if they can put the broth in a separate container or dine-in.
Besides Men Kui Tei and Sapporo, has anybody seen cold ramen anywhere else?
Men Kui Tei, 60 W. 56th St. (btw. 5 & 6th), 212-757-1642
Posted by Donny T. at 9:45 am, May 11th, 2011 under Men Kui Tei.
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For cold noodles at Men Kui, Jar Jar Men is the winner