Tonchin New York

Tonchin is no stranger to the foodies of New York thanks to its Michelin star and breadth of reviews. If you like Michelin star restaurants, I also recommend you check out our review on Tsuta Ramen. So here at GoldyBoy we decided to put their ramen to the test.

First, I have to say I decided to go with the tsukumen style (noodle dipping) ramen because quite frankly, it’s both delicious and rarer among NY restaurants. So I jumped at the opportunity. First, I enjoyed the fact that the noodles were clearly homemade and fresh but they unfortunately didn’t provide options for firmness level. I found the noodles to be very soft but perhaps a little too soft for my liking.

The broth here was much more solid. Initially, when tasting it, you are hit with a savory broth that has a certain fullness to it. There are many different flavorful sides that accompany the broth such as toasted sesame, rice vinegar and spicy beef. Interestingly, the broth was much lighter than most other tsukumen styles I’ve tasted in the past but this is not a detriment. What was nice here was that by adding these other ingredients, the broth becomes more complex and multi-dimensional. You can taste flavors of savory, sour and spicy which blend well together.

Unfortunately, the meat was a bit of a letdown here. The thinly sliced chashu felt very similar to deli sliced meat. Maybe because of the way it’s cut, the flavor was lacking here.

However, the complexity and execution are where this dish really shined. As mentioned earlier, the additional ingredients added multiple layers of flavor. It’s also worth mentioning that not many American ramen restaurants serve tsukumen style ramen and execute it well.

Lastly the aesthetic of the dishes were well done. Check out our gallery to see all of them but you can see the tsukumen ramen below. The serving tray and the accompaniments were nice touches that really elevated the dish. The proportions and how the dish was presented was also done well.

BONUS: Of course, we had the ability to try several other appetizers and dishes which are worth noting. We got a chance to try additionally the tan tan ramen, the bon bon chicken appetizer as well as a chashu rice ball. Both the pork and beef balls were well done and tasty appetizers. Their aesthetic and flavors are really what shined with these appetizers and would highly recommend trying these out if you visit Tonchin in the future.

Feel free to check out Tonchin NY with the link above.