Cafe Tomato’s Asian Food Counter Is Easy To Miss, But You Shouldn’t

2013-01-03 13.38.30

I feel like the closer the proximity to all of the touristy sites along Broadway in the Financial District, the more generic the generic deli. Cafe Tomato on Fulton St. (btw. B’way & Nassau) has bucked that trend for awhile by offering noodle soups and a smattering of Korean food, but until last week I was unaware that they have a whole separate counter clear in the back devoted to these foods.

cafe tomato asian counter

Up front are the usual counters with the usual sandwiches, wraps and soup on offer, and there’s a sizeable hot and cold buffet of foods toward the back. The hot foods are mostly of the Americanized Chinese variety and I’d have to say looked pretty good. You have to pay attention and walk past all of that, and you’ll see the Asian foods counter at the back.

The udon soup seems to be the hot item here (sometimes the puns write themselves) and is put together by a harried-looking worker at the back counter out of a little fixings bar and a couple of noodle steamers. It’s somewhat similar to the concept at Bento Sushi a couple of blocks away, or at Korean food standby Soma by Nature on William St. There are some other options cooked in a kitchen beyond like teriyaki plates, bibimbap or some Korean items over rice or japchae. I tried to order a soup with mandoo in it, but was told they don’t have them anymore so I guess stick to the more straightforward items on the menu or prepare to be let down.

cafe tomato ramen

I ended up ordering ramen with chicken ($6.95) because that’s what sounded good on a freezing cold day. For some reason the ramen was cooked on a stove in the back kitchen so I had to wait five to 10 minutes for my lunch, versus people getting their udon noodles more quickly.

There were way more noodles in here than broth which may or may not be to your liking. That being said, there was plenty of chicken (white meat, unfortunately) and vegetables including bean sprouts, broccoli, jalapeno, and carrot. While I didn’t ask for the ramen spicy, it was anyway, so beware. You can also get straight vegetable soup, or tofu or beef as your protein options and those looked a little better than the chicken breast that I got.

If Cafe Hanover and Soma by Nature are too far away for you, or you want some by-the-pound buffet with your Korean food or noodle soup, Cafe Tomato has your back.

Cafe Tomato, 142 Fulton St. (btw. B’way & Nassau St.), (212) 577-1231

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