Kambi Ramen House

If I'd known about the sheer volume of noodles in a Kambi ramen bowl, I would've foregone the shredded pork and chive dumplings with gingery dipping sauce, the whole shrimp in glutinous rice wrappers, the perfectly chilled tofu topped with heaps of bonito flakes and scallions, and the refreshing julienned daikon flavored with sesame and soy. Well, now that I think about it, I'm glad I ordered all of the above, in addition to my basic pork ramen. But the thin yellow noodles (you can also order thick, wavy, whole wheat or bean) in a garlicky golden broth were definitely the highlight of the meal. Two rounds of sake-stewed pork, so tender that they fell apart at their swirls of succulent fat when I just touched them with a chopstick, lay atop the mound of noodles. The bowl also contained thinly sliced bamboo shoots and a bit of seaweed. This might not be a popular opinion, but I enjoyed the ramen more than at Ippudo; Kambi was more generous with the noodles, and the pork slices were more substantial.

(If you visit Kambi and somehow have an appetite for dessert, the hottest bakery in the East Village is the nearby Momofuku Milk Bar. I wish this place weren't so darn tempting - last night I came away with a glass of wild strawberry milk, a chocolate donut soft serve ice cream cone, corn cookies, blueberry cream cookies, and an incredible slice of banana cake layered with salty hazelnut crunch and banana cream. Why, oh why.)

Kambi Ramen House: 351 East 14th St., (212) 228-1266.