It was 11:30 and I was ravenous. With oatmeal in my pantry and New York City at my doorstep, I turned to Menupages for some late-night suggestions. I realized my craving wasn't the typical greasy, cheesy midnight snack. I also realized, to my greatest surprise, that not many restaurants are open till all hours of the morning. Sure, there are those 24-hour delis with questionably fresh selections and bars are surely open late, but I wanted something different - something comforting that wouldn’t send me to bed feeling like a hippo. Enter: Menchanko Tei- a Japanese ramen and soup bar open till *gasp* 12:30 AM...
My equally famished boyfriend and I bundled up and quickly trotted off to their 55th street shop between 5th and 6th avenues. Hot noodles and soup were just the thing for a night so frigid. Upon arrival, we were quickly seated and began the defrosting process. I scanned the room and was pleasantly shocked: this place was packed! Might this be a late night secret amongst midtowners? One thing I knew for sure: this place is real Japanese. No California rolls, no fortune cookies- just really good, homemade fare.
The menu is expansive, and we vegetarians have plenty to choose from. They make their noodles by hand- something unusual to come by these days. Their unique broths also cater to the vegetarian palate- everything from “sweet soy” to miso-vegetable.
Men = noodle, Chanko = sumo wrestler’s stew (that’s what it says on the menu). I figured that if the restaurant’s title item is good enough for a half-ton Japanese guy, it’s good enough for me. I happily ordered the $9 Vegetarian Menchanko, a thick noodle soup with tons of veggies in a shiitake mushroom and kelp seaweed base miso broth- all served in a hefty cast iron bowl. Adam ordered pork-fried rice.
My soup arrived and it was gigantic. The bowl was bigger than my face, and the whole thing must have weighed more than a newborn baby. For $9, I had just ordered myself sustenance for the next few days. After getting past the sheer girth of the bowl, I dug into the piping hot soup. It was hearty, crunchy, tasty and completely satisfying. I especially enjoyed the noodles, which nicely absorbed the flavors of the broth. I was told the pork-fried rice was “pretty good,” a phrase Adam uses often to describe all calibers of food.
As we strolled home with full bellies and leftovers to last a week, I smiled and recalled why I love this city in the wee hours of the morning: there’s always something completely new and delicious to eat.
The menu is expansive, and we vegetarians have plenty to choose from. They make their noodles by hand- something unusual to come by these days. Their unique broths also cater to the vegetarian palate- everything from “sweet soy” to miso-vegetable.
Men = noodle, Chanko = sumo wrestler’s stew (that’s what it says on the menu). I figured that if the restaurant’s title item is good enough for a half-ton Japanese guy, it’s good enough for me. I happily ordered the $9 Vegetarian Menchanko, a thick noodle soup with tons of veggies in a shiitake mushroom and kelp seaweed base miso broth- all served in a hefty cast iron bowl. Adam ordered pork-fried rice.
My soup arrived and it was gigantic. The bowl was bigger than my face, and the whole thing must have weighed more than a newborn baby. For $9, I had just ordered myself sustenance for the next few days. After getting past the sheer girth of the bowl, I dug into the piping hot soup. It was hearty, crunchy, tasty and completely satisfying. I especially enjoyed the noodles, which nicely absorbed the flavors of the broth. I was told the pork-fried rice was “pretty good,” a phrase Adam uses often to describe all calibers of food.
As we strolled home with full bellies and leftovers to last a week, I smiled and recalled why I love this city in the wee hours of the morning: there’s always something completely new and delicious to eat.
RSS Feed