Thin, wavy noodles and basic pork broth from Kambi

If I don’t eat ramen at least once a week, my body enters a dangerous state of sodium deficiency-induced paralysis. With every saline spoonful of piping hot broth, I feel my limbs gradually engorging like basketballs overfilled with air. I crave the tender pork and resilient noodles that glisten beneath their soupy blanket, and I long to hear emphatic shouts of “irasshaimase!” and communal noodle slurping. In light of Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s recent East Village ramen rating, I’ve also decided to compare some of the purveyors of this typical Japanese street food. Unfortunately, unlike Morimoto, I don’t get paid to eat and consequently did not stop by his top pick, Momofuku Noodle Bar. At $16 a bowl, I’ll leave it to the salaried food bloggers to verify Morimoto’s assessment.

Shio ramen from Ramen Setagaya

Ramen Setagaya remains my favorite go-to ramen enclave. Their rendition of the dish is by far the saltiest; if a slab of beef were soaked in it it’d be preserved for weeks. The shio ramen ($9.50) – the signature dish – is a yellow, chicken-based broth embellished with two pieces of pork, scallions, seaweed, a soft-boiled egg, ginger, and an entanglement of chewy noodles. The pork in this dish is much tougher than the meat served by its competitors, and many claim the soup’s just too salty. If you’re anything like me and liberally dump salt and/or soy sauce over nearly every meal, the salt factor is not a detriment. The restaurant is small and not ideal for groups, though its counter-seating only setup is perfect for grabbing a solo lunch or dinner.

Shiomaru moto ramen from Ippudo

At Ippudo, the bowl of shiomaru moto ramen ($13) is enormous and clouded by a rising waft of meaty steam. While Setagaya’s chewy noodles make its ramen unique, Ippudo’s pork-based broth is its claim to fame. The focus directed toward the cafe au lait-hued liquid is certainly apparent. It tastes creamy and smooth, and it gently slides from the spoon to your throat like a bead of rainwater down a glass window. Pork is completely submerged in the soup, and its absorption of the broth makes it tender and flaky. Other than a few crisp pieces of floating cabbage and the pile of noodles, the broth is relatively barren in garnishing. It doesn’t need it. The dining room is much larger and accommodating for group seating than most East Village ramen vendors.

Yesterday I visited Kambi, the sister restaurant to Minca on 5th St. This restaurant is divided between counter seating in the front and tables in the back, so groups and individual diners are all welcome. Unlike its two competitors, Kambi’s menu is like a choose-your-own-adventure storybook in that it offers noodle and broth options. I chose the thin, wavy noodles and basic pork broth ($9.50) (pictured at the top), regrettably. The broth was disappointing. It was described as possessing a salt and roasted garlic flavor, though it tasted as though the garlic had been blackened in the pan rather than only slightly browned. The bitterness was relentless, never dissipating with desperate gulps of ice water and remaining in the back of my throat even after the check was paid. Other than that, the dish was fantastic. The pork was soft and well-seasoned and the noodles springy and firm. The egg was hard-boiled, in contrast to Setagaya’s soft-boiled one, and the dish was topped with seaweed and some vegetables and ginger. I think I’d like to come back and try the dish with a chicken-based broth instead.

Photos by Allix Geneslaw