Taking My Medical Advice from the Midtown Lunch Forum (Or How I Cleared My Cold With Spicy Ramen From Menchanko-Tei)
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
Posted by Brownie at 11:45 am, February 3rd, 2010 under Menchanko Tei, Review.
12 Comments | RSS comments feed for this post
12 Comments
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Hakata Ramen FTW! :)
And I’m liberal with the red spice and black pepper too. A dab of chili paste helps too.
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mmm… milky bone broth.
I’m a fan of kimchi jigae to banish colds – and, subsequently, coworker drop-ins for the rest of the day as well.
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that looks delish. now im craving ramen.
i generally do sullungtang or kalbi tang with loads of kimchi dunked into the broth. mmm… love korean comfort food.
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I ordered ramen here last week. Asked them to make it spicy. Charged me an extra $1.
I know I can’t compare fresh ramen to packaged ramen but when I have a cold, it’s Shin Ramen all the way. :)
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i can’t believe they added $1 to make it spicy..that’s crazy.
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Hooray for ginger in ramen!
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@stevenp: thanks! I’m trying! But I suspect I’ll be hitting the spicy ramen a few more times before spring rolls around.
@StreetMeasOnsumer3008: haha. Is that their Hakata Ramen in your profile pic?
@CrumbHunter: I love some good jigae, especially when I’m sick. Man, it’s been too long since I’ve had a bowl.
@Ambitious: WHAT? That is so dead wrong that they charged you $1 to make it spicy. Did they do anything especially special for your extra buck? Or did they basically just add the chili paste and red spice powder?
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@brownie… haha- i totally read your first comment wrong. I thought you were going to have spicy ramen a few more times, prior to eating a tasty order of spring rolls.
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Brownie, yes it is! LOL. That is my current avatar.
I really like their Hakata Ramen too. Their broth is really good. -
I’m so glad it worked! That thing knocked my cold out in a matter of hours. Which reminds me… I have a cold. Maybe I should go back.
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Happy to have tried have finally tried it! A good bowl of ramen soup is a great cure for a wet rainy day. Just makes it all better : )
Stay well!