I’ve always believed that I was built for winter.
I absolutely hate Australian summers as I am not a beach fan nor do I fancy wearing thongs if I don’t have to. I much rather rug up then strip down. I much rather snuggle in bed than break a sweat. I would prefer a hot pot over a BBQ.
It’s just how I’m wired.
However, I wasn’t ready for just how cold New York was going to be. The tipping point had to be the day that it got as low as -14 degrees celscius. Can you imagine how a dude who’s grown up in Australia handled that weather? I didn’t know there was a difference between a coat and a jacket until I was halfway across the globe with frozen tears upon my face.
You can probably understand why I opted for a lot of dishes that would keep me warm to avoid becoming the titular character in Disney’s sequel to Frozen.
One of the best dishes to have on a cold day? A steaming bowl of Mega Ramen at Totto.
I arrived ten minutes after it opened and was greeted by a line that was already stretching out of the doorway. You know that look you see on athletes’ faces when they know that a loss is inevitable? Everyone had that same defeated expression on their faces; the sheer act of waiting in line had turned everyone into the Milwaukee Bucks.
I put my name down on the waiting list. 30 minutes later, a waitress called out ‘Iraac for one?’
My time had arrived.
I was quickly hustled to the bar so that the couples in the restaurant wouldn’t be reminded of the harsh life in the single’s jungle. I sat down and creepily watched the chefs at work. To say that they were merely efficient would be like saying that Meryl Streep is an ok actor. It was clockwork; and they still had enough time to mingle with the single people who would be ordering love heart t-shirts for themselves on Valentine’s Day.
Speaking of ordering, I quickly decided that I would order one of Totto’s signature offerings. The MEGA RAMEN.
I should probably talk about the food, huh?
Totto ramen’s specialty is their chicken broth. Generally speaking, I’ve always preferred pork broth but I was happy to mix it up as I had sampled a tonne of ramen swimming pork broth on my trip.
The bowl of MEGA RAMEN that was placed before me was an impressive sight. I sampled the broth first and thought it was quite pleasant. It didn’t warm my entire body like a spoonful of Tonkotsu broth would. It was reminiscent of the type of chicken soup your mother would make for you when you were pretending to be sick to avoid going to school.
The noodles were al dente and did a great job of absorbing all the flavours in the bowl. The only (slightly) negative was the amount of pork. It’s called MEGA RAMEN so I assumed that they were going to throw half a boar into the bowl and let me go nuts. Unfortunately, the serving size probably should have been named ‘MEGA SCALLIONS (featuring some pork) in a bowl).
Here’s the TL; DR for everyone who downloaded the screener of Frozen off of the Pirate Bay:
– A jacket looks good; a coat will prevent your neck turning blue
– Get to Totto Ramen before it opens.
– I wonder if people in fractured relationships take a gander at my life and work extra hard to repair them.
– MEGA SCALLIONS!
****
Totto Ramen, New York
366 W 52nd St, New York, NY
Opening Hours:
Mon – Sat: (Lunch) 12-4:30pm, (Dinner) 5:30-12am
Sun: (Dinner) 4-11pm
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lol i shoulda went here at opening time as u suggested, waited over 1.5 hours in the snow last year for this !
I know the feeling. I’d hire someone to camp there for me next time.
oooh the ramen looks good~
Mega good? Heh.