By Benjamin Ramos Rosado, http://Sofritoinmysoul.blogspot.com
After a particularly stressful
visit to City College’s financial aid office, I decided to drown my sorrows in
a bowl of Ramen. Not a bowl of that disgusting sodium-full swill you buy
3 for a dollar at the bodega; I’m talking about a bowl of Japanese Ramen filled
to the brim with vegetables, noodles, and pork.
A bowl of soup that warms your belly and soothes the soul. The only
place to find that type of solace in Harlem is at Jin Ramen.
Recently featured on Eater.com
and Serious Eats, Jin Ramen is a chic little Japanese noodle shop, which has
become popular with neighborhood locals and City College students. With 9
tables, a noodle bar, and 2 high top family style tables, Jin Ramen is a casual
and cozy place to relax, read, and enjoy delicious food.
Within minutes of my arrival, my
server greeted me with a smile and a menu. Jin Ramen’s servers are
welcoming, attentive, and timely. My only complaint is the number of
servers that tend to you. Sometimes, you
get two or three people taking your different orders; it makes it hard to keep
track of who is bringing you what and who to tip at the end of the
meal.
As I reached into my book bag to
put away my financial aid paper work, I made eye contact with my neighbor to
the right, a young Latino City College student. He said hello and I smiled
back; he noticed my paper work and asked me if I worked at the Financial Aid
Office. I shook my head and told him I was an Undergraduate transfer student
starting in September.
His eyes bulged out of his head
and he immediately asked my age. I must’ve been tired and flustered,
because I told him my real age; usually I reply, “None of your damn business.”
Apparently, I must’ve been the oldest person he’d ever met, because he kept
repeating, “You’re (my age) and still an undergrad?” over and over in full
voice.
Resisting the urge to curse him
out or flip him off, I explained that I took a few years off to work, volunter
with social justice campaigns, and travel. He replied, “That’s
cool! I bet you’ve been EVERYWHERE IN ALL THOSE YEARS!” I
forced a friendly smile and regretted not cursing him out or flipping him
off.
Hoping to end our encounter, I
turned my attention to my menu, but unfortunately he didn’t take the hint and began
telling me his life story. His name was
Jason, he was 18 years old, and he mentioned that he didn’t know much about
ramen. I explained that ramen is a
popular Japanese soup with Chinese style wheat noodles in a chicken or pork
based broth with any type of meat, but usually pork. Intrigued by my explanation,
he opened his menu and quieted down for a few minutes. The silence was exquiste.
Jin Ramen’s menu is divided into
4 sections: Appetizers, Ramen, Starters and Salads, and a section with
Additional Toppings (See the full
menu here). Hungry and slightly
annoyed, I ordered my favorite appetizer, the Steamed Pork Buns (2 Gua Bao buns
stuffed with chashu pork, iceberg lettuce,
and spicy mayo), and the Miso Ramen (Miso broth with sauteed corn, leeks,
scallions, bean sprouts, chicken sausage, pork belly, bok choy, and nori) for my
entree.
Jason ordered the traditional
Shoyo ramen, which comes from the Chinese immigrant
community of Yokohama, Japan. It’s a brown broth made from a chicken and vegetable
stock (blended with soy sauce, garlic and ginger) with noodles, green onions, and
slices of pork.
As we waited for our dishes,
Jason inquired about my visit to the Financial Aid office; I told him I was
there to pick up FAFSA and TAP paperwork.
Immediately, he advised me to apply for FAFSA online, because I’d be
able to simultaneously apply for TAP as well.
He walked me through the process on his smartphone. He also showed me a few scholarship sites and
assured me there had to be money out there for “old people” like me returning
to school.
I overlooked the insult and
continued to listen as my server placed my Steamed Pork Buns in front of me.
Jason's eyes bulged out of his skull again; I could tell he wanted to taste
one of the buns. I offered him one, but
he said no. I placed one on a small
plate and told him to consider it a thank you for his advice. He grinned ear to ear and eagerly bit into
it.
Steamed Pork Buns are a Taiwanese
street food that have become popular in many Asian restaurants. The buns, known as Gua Bao, are made by
steaming dough in Bamboo steamers, which gives them a uniquely soft and moist
texture. The sweet and fluffy buns were
stuffed with chashu (braised) pork, seasoned with soy sauce, garlic, mirin and
other spices. The chashu pork was soft
and perfectly seasoned. The crunchy Iceberg
lettuce had a refreshing clean flavor and the spicy mayo added a wonderful hint
of heat to the dish. Jason loved the bun
and thanked me for my generosity. As I finished
my last bun, he showed me some apps I could download for further financial aid information.
Before I knew it, our wonderfully
aromatic ramen bowls arrived. The steaming
miso broth was rich and salty; the leeks, bok choy, scallions, bean spouts and leeks
were crunchy and well cooked. The corn added
a delightfully sweet contrast to the briny broth. The pork belly and chicken sausage were soft,
savory, and flavorful. The noodles were
delicious and fun to eat; there’s nothing like slurping ramen noodles.
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Jason thought his Shoyo Ramen was
delicious and said, “It was WAY better than Top Ramen!” High praise,
indeed! He assured me he would be back
with his friends.
As we both prepared to leave, I thanked Jason for his advice and he thanked
me for his crash course on Japanese food.
It just goes to show you, that when people of different generations listen
to each other amazing things can happen.
Now listen to one of your elders -I’m really not that old-and go have an
amazing bowl of ramen. Don’t take my word for it, go eat for
yourself! Buen Provecho!
Jin Ramen
3183 Broadway
New York, N.Y. 10027
646-559-2862
HOURS:
ATMOSPHERE: Friendly, energetic and fun.
SERVICE: Good.
SOUND LEVEL: Conversational.
KID FRIENDLY: No.
RECOMMENDED DISHES: The
ramen section of the menu is amazing.
Check out the menu: http://www.jinramen.com/menu
BEVERAGES: Soda, Japanese Beer, Sake, Infused Sakes, and
cocktails. Check out the bottom section
of the menu: http://www.jinramen.com/menu
