Rai Rai Ken

Cuisine: Noodle Shop/Japanese
Location: 214 E 10th St b/w 1st & 2nd Ave
Phone #: (212) 477 7030
Method(s): Eat In & Delivery
Price Range: $
Food: B+
Value: A
Service/Atmosphere: A
Overall Rating: A-

Rai Rai Ken ("Rai Rai") is the ultimate tiny, no-frills noodle bar. I stumbled upon this place one day while walking around my neighborhood and I instantly fell in love. Not only does it fit my criteria of having very few menu items that are done to perfection, but it is also incredibly cheap and the service is fast and friendly. Also, they deliver!
Very unusual for a noodle shop. The only noodle shops I am familiar with that deliver ramen are Rai Rai and Ramen Setagaya (review forthcoming). I typically only include pictures of the actual food in my reviews, but in this case I wanted you to be able to visualize how tiny this place actually is. As you can see, there are only about 10-12 barstools up against the counter, and there is not much area behind the stools to squeeze past, so be prepared. In other words, don't show up to this place on a Friday night at 8PM with a party of 6. This is more of a spot to go quickly eat alone or with 1 other person, since it is tiny and always packed.

What I Liked
I have yet to order anything off of this tiny menu that I did not enjoy eating. In terms of appetizers, the Gyoza ($5) and Edamame ($3.50) are pretty standard but definitely tasty, the Fried Rice ($7.50/full or $5/half) is cooked with egg and is absolutely delicious (half order is recommended to share on the side with your ramen) the Kim-Chee ($3.50) is very good but incredibly spicy so be warned, the Miso Soup ($1.50) is quite unique in that they somehow make it spicy and add a ton of marinated scallions, and the Roast Pork ($5) is worth getting to start if you don't think you will have your fill of pork in your ramen. The pork app is served mixed up with the same marinated scallions that seem to be in many of the dishes at Rai Rai and they add an excellent crunchy element to the dish.

In terms of non-ramen entrees, there are only a few. I tried the Yaki Soba ($7.50) for the first time recently, which contains fried noodles with veggies & pork (no broth) and it really impressed me. If you're not in the mood for the hearty broth then I would recommend this dish. Another dish without broth (that they only serve from May-September) is one of their "summer items" called Hiyashi Chu-Ka ($9.50), which is made of chilled noodles mixed with chicken, cucumber, egg, sun dried tomatoes, seaweed, red ginger, lettuce, sesame seeds, scallions and mustard all topped with vinegar. They provide an interesting sauce on the side that you can pour on, and hot sauce is recommended as well. My roommate is head over heels in love with this dish. I liked it too, but I just have trouble enjoying anything as much as I enjoy ramen at noodle shops in general (especially at Rai Rai). The ginger and mustard are the overpowering flavors in this summer item and I would recommend it if you want something different. Believe it or not there is actually a vegetarian option on this menu: the Yasai Itame ($7.50) is simply sauteed veggies, but I actually enjoyed it when I tried it because they are well spiced and cooked to perfection.

As far as ramen goes, I have tried all 4 varieties that they offer at Rai Rai. My favorite is described below, but in a close 2nd place is the Miso Ramen ($9) which obviously has a miso (soy bean) based broth, with beansprout, cabbage, onions, crispy garlic, scallions and chicken. This ramen is stellar and is delicious from the first to the last bite, especially if you add in some hot sauce or chili powder. The crispy garlic is worth mentioning because it does add a lot of flavor and the crispiness is super interesting. The Shio Ramen ($8.50) has "house special seafood based" broth and the Curry Ramen ($8.50) has curry based broth, and both broths taste as you would imagine by the description (they each also contain roast pork, egg and scallions). Although I did not find either one to be spectacular, if seafood or curry are your thing then you can always try one of these to change things up if you get tired of the Shoyu or the Miso varieties.

What Could Use Work
My only complaint with Rai Rai (apart from the cramped quarters which I think give it a lot of its personality) is the quality of the ingredients. Although it is obviously priced accordingly, I have tasted a noticeable difference in the consistency and flavor of the noodles and pork when you compare Rai Rai with Ippudo or Momofuku Noodle. It just tastes a little cheaper and a bit less flavorful in my opinion....again, this is to be expected when you are paying close to half the price, but I thought it was worth pointing out.

Killed It!
The Shoyu Ramen ($8.50) is just epic. The first time I tried this ramen I thought I was slurping and moaning so loud with every bite that everyone in the restaurant must have heard me (although it's more likely that I was drowned out by all the other slurping and moaning going on at the place). If you haven't been to an authentic noodle shop before, it is perfectly customary for the customer to make a lot of noise while eating his or her food, and Rai Rai is no different in this respect. The Shoyu has a soy sauce based broth and, like the others, contains roast pork, boiled egg, fish cake, scallions and dried seaweed. Mix in hot sauce and/or chili powder and you are in flavor heaven.