For my money, you can’t find a more perfect bowl of ramen in New York than at Ippudo in the East Village. There is almost always a line to get in, but the tonkotsu ramen is worth the wait, the broth steamy and restorative, the pasta delicate yet toothsome, the chashu rich.
And now, according to Eater, the man behind that miraculous soup, Fumihiro Kanegae, is striking out on his own. Later this month, he will open his own restaurant in Cobble Hill. Styled Karazishi Botan, the new venture is being billed as a “ramen diner.”
What justifies that designation? I’m not sure, though according to the article, all of the items at the new installation will be “served with a twist.”
Chef Special Iron Men has 16-month dry-aged pork, a technique Kanegae learned from his visits to NYC’s steakhouses. … Ti Amo features a chicken and oyster soup base, chicken chashu instead of the traditional pork topping, and mashed potatoes along with crispy bacon. Misopresso Botanical Ramen has a porcini miso soup base that’s steamed with an espresso machine to make it extra creamy, and then served with thin brown rice noodles.
Sounds intriguing. I wish Chef Kanegae well in his new endeavor and hope his food enjoys the same acclaim in Brooklyn that it has justifiably received in Manhattan.
But the move leaves me wondering: How will Ippudo fare in his absence? Stay tuned.
