Iron Chef Morimoto Judges the Best of East Village Ramen@Food

Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto is a master competitor on the Food Network, but Grub Street wanted to test his skills as a judge. We took the Morimoto chef on a ramen tour of the East Village — including Ippudo NY, Rai Rai Ken, Ramen Setagaya, Momofuku Noodle Bar (where a stunned David Chang stopped a meeting to personally prepare our ramen), and Minca Ramen Factory — and asked him to rate the ramen on a ten-point system for taste, five for presentation, and five bonus points awarded at his discretion. Morimoto liked everything he ate, especially the way it was eaten. “We saw American people slurping and making noise, just like the Japanese do, and that’s amazing,” he said. Click through the slideshow to see which ramen Morimoto crowned king.


1. Momofuku Noodle Bar

Best Dish: Momofuku Ramen: pork combo, poached egg, $16.
Taste: 10 points "I like all three [flavors -- chicken, house pork, and pork-belly special]. Ramen usually comes with a lot of soup, but I assume David reduces the soup to keep the chicken crispy. It's a completed dish. Each topping is crispy and juicy. Everything is well-balanced. That's what a top chef would do. It's a restaurant, not just any ramen shop."
Presentation: 5 points "The chef-owner was there to present."
Bonus: 3 points "It's clean, lively, there's a friendliness. You would even feel nice dining alone."
Total Points: 18

Photo: Melissa Hom

2. Ippudo NY

Best Dish: Akamaru Shin: ramen noodles, thick pork broth, berkshire pork chashu, cabbage, scallions, $13.
Taste: 9 points "The soup usually comes with the smell of pork. This is too clean, which is on purpose. However, it was supported by the toppings: red-pepper paste, red-sesame oil. I can play with them while eating. The noodles are thin and straight in the traditional Kyushu [Southern-Island] style, and arrive nicely al dente."
Presentation: 4 points "Original, colorful bowls."
Bonus: 4 points "Employees were energetic; you get an energy from the restaurant. The interior is sophisticated, kept clean."
Total Points: 17

Photo: Melissa Hom

3. Minca

Best Dish: Minca Ramen: mild broth, pork, chicken, and dried seafood mixed broth, $8.50
Taste: 6 points "The triple stock [pork, chicken, and dried seafood mixed broth] had depth and the aroma was excellent. The noodle itself had a type of smell I didn't like; there might be some issue with the refrigeration."
Presentation: 3 points "Ramen is a casual food -- it should be slurped making noise, while sweating. It's not for genteel people. [Minca] fits the concept, the typical image of comfort food."
Bonus: 4 points "A variety of noodle choices -- thin, thick, curvy -- and flavor choices for the stock."
Total Points: 13

Photo: Melissa Hom
4. Ramen Setagaya

Best dish: Tsukemen: ramen served with the broth on the side, $8.
Taste: 6 points "Setagaya is known for Tsukemen [tskue means 'dip' and 'men' is 'noodle.'] For having such a thick noodle, the dipping sauce is too thin. Alone the broth tastes good, but it doesn't stick to the noodle; the balance is off."
Presentation: 2 points "There's no presentation."
Bonus: 3 points "Cha-shu [sliced pork] was roasted on the outside. The Sio-ramen had dried fish powder on top, which gave the ramen extra flavor."
Total Points: 11

Photo: Melissa Hom
5. Rai Rai Ken

Best dish: Shoyu Ramen: soy sauce-based noodle soup topped with bamboo shoot, boiled egg, roast pork, spinach, fish cake, dry seaweed, and scallion, $6.95.
Taste: 5 points "The broth didn't have enough flavor, bland. Cha-shu -- the sliced pork -- tastes like ham, was a little tough. The noodles were okay."
Presentation: 3 points "The bowls reminded me of noodles I had when I was a child, traditional. The employees were not as warm as the restaurant's name suggests."
Bonus: 3 points "Rai Rai Ken was a pioneer and it's maintained business for a long time." Total Points: 11

Photo: Melissa Hom

@Source: http://nymag.com/daily/food/2008/10/iron_chef_morimoto_judges_the.html#photo=3