Totto Ramen, NYC

A colleague based in NYC told me about Totto Ramen - that it was better than Ippudo, cheaper than Momofuku and easier to get to than the other 2 from Millenium Times Square, which was where we were putting up. So one evening when I managed to sneak out alone, I headed there for dinner by myself.

This was the queue at 9.45pm (people behind me not pictured). I waited until 10.30pm for a counter seat for one.

I got a counter seat with a great view of the action. The cooks were all Japanese : )

Flipping the noodles out of hot water

Aburi-ing the chasiu - no wonder it was so yummy!

I ordered an avocado tuna just to try - described as torched tuna sashimi with avocado marinated in special yuzu garlic sauce, topped with scallion. At $4.50, this sounded like a pretty reasonable deal.

The serving was reasonably substantial, and it was pretty yummy. Just a bit salty. The avocado was hidden under the tuna. It was a good start to the meal.

I ordered the Totto Spicy Ramen. Their house ramen is served in chicken broth, and the spicy version has Rayu, described as spicy sesame sauce. The ramen was topped with scallion, cha siu, bean sprouts and nori. I ordered an egg on the side too.

Close up of the noodles - they were nice and firm, cooked al dente. Just right. The soup was absolutely rich and lovely, and left me wanting more. The aburi-ed cha siu was so nice - the torching left a nice caramelised flavour on the edges. My only complaint was that my egg ended up hard boiled instead of with a nice soy-infused soft yolk. But I would still head back there at my next visit in NYC for sure.

It's located in Midtown between 8th and 9th Avenue, about 10-15 minutes walk from Times Square.

366 W 52nd Street, NY 10019

Tel: (212) 582-0052
Open Mon – Fri 12pm – 12am / Sat 12pm – 11pm / Sun 5pm – 11pm