Kame NYC is a hidden gem for ramen in New York that deserves more attention than it’s gotten compared to competitors. For this review, we’ll dive deeper into some of the subtleties that makes this ramen a contender. For this review, we had the traditional tonkotsu with an egg (seen below).
Let’s start with the noodles. I’m actually not sure whether the noodles here are homemade or not but either way they certainly have potential. The main challenge I see with the noodles here is either in their preparation or how the restaurant prepares the bowl. In essence the noodles come out very soft or otherwise soggy. It’s possible these are prepared on purpose this way but it does give the impression that these noodles were simply overcooked.
The real saving grace and winner here is the amazing tonkotsu broth. I’m unsure how this broth was prepared but it screams hours of preparation and layers of flavor. The richness is a hidden treasure and certainly elevated the ramen several levels and may be one of the better broths of ramen I’ve tasted.
The meat was a double edged sword for this bowl. Looking at the picture below, it looks prepared perfectly which leaves the mouth salivating with anticipation. However, once we bite into it we find the pork chashu to be a little tough and not quite as marinaded as we would have liked. This reinforces our hypothesis that the ingredients may have been left too long in the bowl and overcooked.
The overall execution is really a balancing act. Whereas the noodles and meat scream being overcooked, the broth screams perfection. For this reviewer, the broth really saves this bowl and elevates it past mediocre.
Lastly is the aesthetic. Regardless of any of the tastes, the bowl presents really well. The pork chashu looks tender and appetizing in the creamy broth. The garnishes and overall presentation was done really well and contributed to elevating this dish.
Side Note: The dishes here provided diners the options of adding extras such as the poached egg seen below. This allows the individual to customize the dish to their liking and the egg was poached perfectly in this case. This helped aid the execution and overall score.
