I actually did one review on Totto already a while ago. However, I thought i revisit this topic, because lately I just tried more of their dishes. I do have to say, they are superb and nothing has changed since my initial review. 🙂 To make this as organized as possible, I’ll just go down the list according to their menu and things I’ve tried.
1) Chicken Paitan Ramen 丸鶏白湯ラーメン
Their original recipe and no doubt, hands down my favorite of the bunch. It is so so so flavorful and savory. With each bite, I just want to eat more! Also, this bowl of ramen uses hand-battered ramen (I believe). So it actually resembles the texture of soba. But with this feature, it compliments the broth so well, because it absorbs the flavor of the soup and delivers the kick even more. I personally like to eat this with their homemade “Rayu” sauce, which is their special hot sauce (as you can see on the left hand side). It is fabulous to begin with. In addition with the sauce, it is just off the charts, FIREWORKS!
ingredients: scallion, nori (seaweed), onion, Cha-sui (roasted pork), meat bites
3) Extreme Spicy Ramen 激辛ラーメン
This is good but not as good as the chicken ramen. I don’t exactly remember if the broth is the same… the soup does look less cloudy than the chicken broth.. but I do remember this doesn’t come with as much meat as the chicken ramen. Instead, they replace it with some beansprouts. I like beansprouts, but they are not on the same level as meat, of course. They do give you the hot sauce on the side. So really it isn’t extremely spicy rather it’s like DIY spicy.
ingredients: scallion, onion, beansprouts, Cha-sui (roasted pork)
4) Miso Ramen 味噌ラーメン
Possibly the best miso ramen I’ve had yet. I’ve been hesitant to get this for a while because I had it at Ippudo at St Marks and it somewhat ruined my impression of miso ramen. Ippudo likes to add ginger to several of their ramen choices, which is the main reason why I didn’t enjoy my miso ramen, because i dislike ginger. 😛 So now, Totto’s miso ramen = scrumptious! The broth is light allowing the miso to take charge. I believe there is a hint of sesame oil too (or some form of seasoned oil). The important note concerning this is that the noodle and soup are NOT the same as their original chicken ramen. It makes sense, because it just wants to be miso ramen and not Totto chicken miso ramen. The ramen used is the typical kind that you get at most ramen shops. It is a lighter and bouncier texture.
ingredients: scallion, onion, beansprouts, half an egg, Cha-sui (roasted pork)
5) Cold Ramen 冷やし中華
I believe this is just a seasonal ramen dish. This bowl of noodle is soup-less, but comes a sauce (a light vinegrette soy sauce with a tad of sweetness). It is very refreshing in the hot summer day, especially with the raw tomato and cucumber combo. This can be easily made at home as well so I did question myself… “why should I pay over $10 dollars for this?”. I really didn’t have a good excuse for it other than the fact I was really hungry. All in all, there is nothing worth highlighting for the Cold Ramen. The mix of ingredients is like the Chipotle burrito bowl but with Japanese style instead. I really couldn’t depict certain tastes from what I was eating other than the taste of the sauce. The egg shreds were so thinly cut, I couldn’t even taste the egginess of it. I’m not saying this is bad Cold Ramen, but when you’re at Totto, you should just stick with what got them famous.
ingredients: cherry tomatos, scrambled egg shreds, cucumbers, beansprouts, chicken bites, seaweed, ginger
6) Niku Ramen にんにく肉ラーメン aka Meat Lover
I didn’t personally try this, but I’ll share what I saw with my eyes. First, the bowl is extra large. Second, the bowl of ramen is covered! with thick slices of cha-sui. The ramen used is the typical stringy ramen. Unfortunately, I don’t know the taste of the broth but according to Totto, there is garlic in it.
ingredients: scallion, beansprouts, onion, garlic, cha-sui (roasted pork)
Side dishes:
A) Ika-yaki いか焼き – Grilled squid cooked by their handy-dandy torch. It is cooked to just 50/50 done throughout so the meat isn’t chewy at all. Sprinkled with peanut flakes with the earthy taste of scallion, it is a great appetizer.
B) Avo Tuna アボツナ – It’s almost like slices of tuna steak paired with avocado. It also comes with beansprouts. I’m pretty sure if this dish is to be served at an actual restaurant, it would not be a measly $4.50. This appetizer is definitely worth getting. The tuna is in the color of cherry red and again, prepared by the ubiquitous Totto torch. The tuna tastes refreshing with its compliments.
*Totto Ramen is located at W52nd Street between 9th and 8th Ave, NY, NY.
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