Midtown Lunch

Photo Courtesy of Ramen via Yelp 

A bowl of ramen is almost as good as a glass of whiskey to warm you up during the winter. But where should we go to find that perfect bowl? Ramen Boy only lasted about 5 months in Chinatown. I wasn’t crazy about the ramen and the gyoza were awful. When Terakawa Ramen opened in the Ramen Boy location barely a few weeks after its closing, I was hopeful. I had visited the New York location of Terekawa and enjoyed their ramen and appetizers. Would it be any better than its predecessor? Or is the location cursed?

Gyoza were certainly more flavorful than those served at Ramen Boy. But certainly not the best in Chinatown.

Chicken karage was probably the best appetizer we had. Fried, but not too greasy, and accompanied by a nice spicy mayo.

I loved the idea of tempura shrimp shu mai ($6), frying something already awesome should be awesomer right? Unfortunately the shu mai were not of a great quality so the whole thing didn’t work.

The ramen I chose was the signature Terakawa Ramen ($9). I thoroughly enjoyed the pork bone broth. It was on par with Nom Nom’s, my favorite in Philly at the moment. The pork pieces were decent, not quite as melty as I like, but far better than other ramen bars’ versions. All of the other ingredients from the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, to the perfect  soft boiled egg worked. No complaints about the noodles either.

Unfortunately the other ramen varieties were not as enjoyable. The chicken based shoyu ramen had no flavor. And the mayu ramen (pictured) was so overpowered by the burnt leek oil that no lovely subtle pork flavors came through. Stick to the classic or be disappointed.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• A classic bowl of ramen that will satisfy your ramen craving
• Good lunch specials

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Not all the ramen are winners
• Only few of the appetizers impress

Terakawa Ramen, 204 N 9th St,  215-666-6636