Yesterday’s nice weather afforded me an opportunity to take a lunchtime stroll and I spotted a sign that I wished I had seen, um, four weeks ago. Apparently Menchanko-Tei (my favorite ramen place in midtown) is offering a May lunch time promotion. It’s only at the 55th street location (sorry East siders) and it’s only for dine-in customers from 11:30 until 5pm. The Hakata, Shoyu and Assari Ramen are all $5.75 (normally $8.50). I hope I’ll have a chance to squeeze one of these lunches in before the end of the month.

Menchanko Tei, 43-45 W. 55th St. (btw. 5+6th), 212-247-1585

Let’s face it – It’s only February, and we still have at least a month of cold weather left before we can put away the sweater, scarves and jackets. Bundling up is one way of beating the cold weather, but the contributors here at Midtown lunch like to reach for a hot bowl of soup to warm up. We’ve asked each of the contributors to share a favorite bowl of soup in Midtown, so read on to find out where we like to get our soup on.

Blondie is a fan of the Vegetable Menchanko at Menchanko Tei.

Over the past two years, I’ve finally fallen in line with the Ramen Lovers. As much as I wanted to get to Hide-Chan during lunch, it was brick out there, so I’d venture down the street to Menchanko Tei (45th btw 3rd+Lex). I get lazy in the cold plus they have Vegetarian Menchanko ($9.50), the soup I gravitate towards way too often. The salty miso broth, tofu, and vegetables warm my bones, and always give me enough sustenance to get me through the afternoon. I firmly believe it was the reason I was the only one in the office who didn’t get the flu.

Donny T digs the spicy crab with sweet corn chowder at Soup Spot.

Soup Spot (on 31st St btw. 7th and 8th Ave) cares about your health. I know this because every time you get soup it comes with a piece of fruit. They love us! On any given day they will have more than a dozen different soups ranging from chowders, vegetarian, chicken and rice, gumbo, apple and squash and many more other soups. There are so many reasons to love Soup Spot. Besides the piece of fruit, the menu changes daily, it’s cheap and it’s awesomely good.

On my most recent trip, for $6, I got a small spicy crab with sweet corn chowder and half of a turkey sandwich. That of course came with a piece of bread and an apple. $6!! It’s $3.68 for a small and $4.90 for a large soup without the sandwich. The spicy crab chowder had just the right amount of kick to it, enough to let you know it’s there. Also they used real crab meat in the chowder. Of course I’m not the only person that likes this place, once the weather turns just a bit cold people will line up for their soups.

The only down side to Soup Spot is that it’s tiny inside, therefore the rest of the people will have to wait outside in the cold dreaming about drinking that perfect cup of soup.

Ultraclay is fond of the karaage curry udon at Udon West (on 46th btw. Lex+3rd)

Udon, curry and fried chicken – is there’s some other combination that better defines comfort food for me, I haven’t found it yet. And I need comforting. It’s just so cold.

Udon West’s karaage curry udon ($8.50) has long been one of the few things I appreciate about winter. The broth is hearty without being heavy, the noodles are thick and chewy and the chicken chunks are meaty and well seasoned.

Jeremiah enjoys the Maryland vegetable crab soup at Westerly Natural Market.

Tucked away in the back of Westerly Natural Market (8th Ave. btw. 54+55th), beyond
the rows and rows of organic snacks, natural vitamins and fresh proteins and
produce, sits a row of steaming pots of soup. You ladle your own soup into a 16 oz.
container for $4.49 or a 32 oz. one for $7.99 (the 16 might need to be supplemented
to make a full lunch, the 32 is a crapload of soup). The offerings change daily (there’s
a schedule on their website), but pretty much everything is available everyday in a
16 oz. serving in their refrigerated section.

My favorite is their Maryland vegetable crab soup. It’s basically a delicious, slightly spicy vegetable soup with cabbage, celery, corn, tomatoes, onions, potato, zucchini and a healthy does of Old Bay. As a bonus, it’s loaded with little bits of crab that lend that signature flavor to every spoonful. The lack of crabmeat chunks would be disappointing if the soup weren’t so delicious.

Chris H adores the spicy vegetable chili at Cer té (on 55th btw. 5+6th).

On cold days, i’m drawn to spicy soups like white on rice. And if my go-to spicy soup, yuk gae jang at Cafe Duke, is unavailable, then Cer té’s spicy vegetable chili ($5.95) serves as a reliable backup. This chili is deceptively spicy, and chock full of chunky carrots, zucchini, and al dente pinto and black beans. Despite the fact that I’ve documented decadent lunches here on ML, I’m actually kind of a health freak, and even once dabbled in vegetarianism (I’ve since come to the light). Even as a full-time omnivore, Cer té’s spicy veggie chili is so satisfying, I don’t really miss eating meat. Whether you’re a vegetarian, flexitarian, or meatatarian, it’s hard not to like Certe’s spicy vegetarian chili.

And last, but not least, Mamacita really wishes that Yushi still carried their sake ramen. (She’s a drunk through and through.)

Got a favorite soup of your own?  Throw in the comments…

Related:
Lunch’er Grace Reports: The Ultimate Midtown Soup List

Got some sad news from Midtown north on Friday… the Menchanko Tei on 55th btw. 5+6th has been closed by the DOH.  We don’t know for sure why they were closed, or when they will reopen- but they did have an inspection about a month ago and the results aren’t pretty. If you don’t want to read the specifics, and we don’t really blame you if you don’t, we’ll just tell you that they got a 61 (28 and below is passing.)   Then again, roaches didn’t stop us from going to the 45th street location, so this probably won’t keep us away from the 55th Street location.

And here we are, the fourth Friday in Lent. You can do it Catholics, two more to go! We’ve covered some of the fried fish options, but what if you gave up fried things (Brownie!) or have been sick enough that someone (Zach!) told you that if you’ve called in sick to work on Wednesday, you shouldn’t go have burgers off a truck as a sick-day lunch. Well, then it would be Asian vegetable soup time.

Lucky for me I work by 45th between Lex & 3rd, one of the best soup blocks in the city. Closer to Lex is Menchenko-Tei, your 2009 Winner of Best Japanese Soup. It might be the most upscale of the soup joints on the block, but it also has the better ambiance and quality. Lately, I’ve been partaking in the Vegetarian Menchenko which toes the ML line at $9.50. But this isn’t your ordinary bowl of noodles… the broth is a kelp seaweed based miso, the noodles are cooked in a cast iron pot (still to perfect al dente like when Zach visited oh so many years ago), and the fresh vegetables are more plentiful than usual. It’s the broth on this that really makes it a winner, its vegetable-based giving it a lighter, more subtle taste then most Asian soups we’re used to. And it’s not too salty like 99% of the broth in this city. I know, you guys probably like salty, but I’m a lady and too much salt can take me from “okay” to “muffintop” in no time. Controlling your salt level is a plus in my book. For $9.50, you get a decent size portion, I usually can’t eat it all and end up staying pretty full through the afternoon. So if you think eating a vegetable soup brings you closer to Jebus, you should pick this up.

For the more lenient types, the ones who think “well, if I choose to be ignorant about the base of the broth then it’s not a sin,” you can walk down the street to Oms/b. Oms/b has been serving udon for at least a year now… it’s not the best in the city, but it’s $6, made to order, has respectable udon noodles, and is full of these vegetable/”carriers of nutrients that will make me healthy for St. Patty’s Day” things. The most likely meat-based broth is also lower on the sodium side, but if you’re looking for an amount similar to a bowl of ramen from Menchanko-Tei, Men Kui Tei, or Sapporo, you’ll be disappointed. It does look comparable to sizes at Udon West (there isn’t currently an under $10 vegetable udon at Udon West.) If you were to go with this option, I’d supplement my Lenten Lunch with a few rice balls or some edamame to help me get through the afternoon. Or I’d walk back up the block to Menchenko-Tei.

Menchanko-Tei, 2 Locations

• 131 E. 45th St. (btw Lex & 3rd), 212-986-6805
• 43-45 W. 55th St. (btw. 5+6th), 212-247-1585

Oms/b, 156 E. 45th St. (btw. 3rd & Lex) 212-922-9788

Related:
Friday During Lent? It’s Time For Cheap Fried Fish Sandwiches!
The Friday Guide to Midtown Lent

Some people take their medical advice from oh, I don’t know, a doctor, but when I have a cold I know the only things that are going to help me kick it are rest and plenty of fluids. And by plenty of fluids I mean a giant bowl of spicy soup. And when I need a giant bowl of spicy soup recommendation in Midtown, I head straight for the ML forums.

Lunch’er “Shivery McPickles” found herself in a similar predicament last fall. When I saw that she had commended the cold curing properties of the Hakata Ramen from Menchanko-Tei, I knew I finally had to give the reigning ML Reader’s Choice for Best Japanese Soup a try.

It’s been almost 3 years since Zach posted about an actual lunch at Menchanko-Tei, but it did not disappoint. The Hakata Ramen consists of a pork bone broth topped with simmered pork slices, black mushrooms, red ginger, scallions and plenty of ultra thin ramen noodles. The noodles themselves are perfectly al dente and that’s just how this Italian girl likes them. The broth was rich and satisfying.

The soup itself isn’t spicy, so I took Spam’s advice (from an earlier “Best Sinus Clearing Spicy Lunch” post) to “be liberal with the red spice powder stuff on your table. This way you get the health benefits of delicious soup and your sinuses get cleared from the spice.”

The “Doctored” Up Broth

Now that’s what I’m talking about. My cold is officially gone, but if it decides to make a repeat appearance, I’m headed straight for Menchanko-Tei and there will be no mercy. Please pass the red pepper paste…

Menchanko-Tei, 2 Locations

• 131 E. 45th St. (btw Lex & 3rd), 212-986-6805
• 43-45 W. 55th St. (btw. 5+6th), 212-247-1585

Related:
Original Menchako-Tei Post (10/23/06)

It’s starting to get gross out, which makes eating hot ramen less and less appealing.  Thankfully summertime means Hiyashi chuka at Japanese restaurants, and Naengmyeon at Korean restaurants. Luncher Mark sends word that Pro Hot Korean (on 56th btw. 5+6th) is not serving their cold noodle dish yet, but what about the Japanese spots?

Hiyashi Ramen from Men Kui Tei (on 56th btw. 5+6th)

Sapporo (on 49th btw. 5+6th) is already serving their version, and Men Kui Tei (on 56th btw. 5+6th) serves their “Hiyashi Ramen” all year round. Plus both locations of Menchanko Tei (45th btw. Lex+3rd and 55th btw. 5+6th) are now serving their cold sesame noodles, and hayashi chuka. (And the 45th Street location is back open, after being closed for renovations.) Anybody know any Koreatown spots that have already started serving naengmyeon?

Hakata Ramen from Menchako Tei. Posted to the ML Flickr Photo Pool by Pabo76

This is starting to get ridiculous.  The branch of Menchanko Tei (on 55th btw. 5+6th) that was closed by a fire in December is still “closed for renovations”.  They had originally said they were going to reopen a week after the fire- which makes this lengthy delay even that much more puzzling.  No word on what the hold up is or how long it is going to be closed for.  In the meantime, you’ll have to make do with Men Kui Tei (on 56th btw. 5+6th), Sapporo (on 49th btw. 6+7th), or the other branch of Menchanko Tei (on 45th btw. Lex+3rd).  Or you can just sit at your desk, staring longingly at the photo above until you cry.

Related:
Fire Closes Menchanko Tei & Five Guys
Original Menchanko Tei Post (10/23/06)