Totto Ramen & Hell’s Kitchen

When I was in New York, I told my buddy I would not leave New York without trying Totto Ramen.  It was Sunday and my last day in New York.  

We check Yelp and it said Totto opens at 12 PM, so we woke up around 10 AM and got ready.   It’s about the same time people usually wake up for their walk of shame.  We hopped on the train and made our way to Hell’s Kitchen.  When we got there, it was closed and the sign said it would be open at 4 PM.  I was furious at Yelp with their misinformation like a fat kid at McDonald’s when he heard they ran out of french fries.

My flight was at 6:30 PM and I was departing from Newark in New Jersey.  I was freaking out like a vegan who saw a piece of chicken in their salad.  I was in full meltdown mode like Donald Trump’s campaign 3 weeks before election day.  My buddy saw the distress on my face, so he suggested Ippudo Westside.  

We went to the next block over and it seemed like a lifetime as we cut the corner.  We ate at Ippudo Westside for lunch; but I was still not satisfied cause I felt I didn’t achieve my goal.  I told him I still wanted Totto before I left.  We lounged around until 3:30 PM and lurked around Totto like Donald Trump lurked Hilary Clinton during the second debate.  We put our names on the list and waited for 15 minutes.  Yes… I had ramen twice in a 5 hour period and you’re probably disgusted like Trump’s locker-room talk.

However, it’s a testament to not giving up on your dream cause you could achieve anything with a little determination and persistence.  I came, I saw and I conquered.  I had enough time left to hop on the train back to Newark and catch my flight back to California.  I’m going back to Cali, Cali, Cali.

Now, the food.

1. Totto Spicy Ramen – The bowl is topped with scallion, bean sprouts, nori and slices of Char Siu Pork.  The chicken based broth served with a dash Rayu spicy sesame oil sauce.  The sauce adds a flavorful kick to the broth and a great aftertaste to their ramen.  It’s one of the best tasting ramen bowls outside of Japan and probably my favorite bowl in the States.  It’s full of flavors without being too salty like Donald Trump when he loses a supporter.

   

2. Pork Bun – The little heavenly fluffy white buns with a slab of sweet pork in the middle.  Totto Ramen’s take on Pork Buns is pretty good with it’s single slice of cabbage and a drizzle of sweet soy sauce.  Ippudo Westside‘s pork bun is a little better than Totto Ramen even though both are good.  It’s like when America has to choose between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump.  Both are terrible but one is less terrible depending on who you ask.

   

3. Char Siu Pork – Succulent little charred pieces of pork heaven.  It’s tender, have a bite and perfect with the Japanese mayo they provide.  These morsels are a great side to have if the pieces of pork in your ramen bowl isn’t enough.  It’s like politicians and their surrogates.

   

Lastly, Totto Ramen was so worth it like Hilary baiting Trump.   The chicken broth was full of different flavors and the pork was pork belly and charbroiled.  It was way better than Ippudo Westside in terms of ramen and price.  To be honest, it was the best ramen I ever had in my life.  Simply mouth watering like Donald Trump’s mouth when he sees a blonde.  Totto was a very small restaurant with no more than 20 seats; however, that’s still more seats than the people voting for Jill Stein or Gary Johnson.

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