JAPAN 🇯🇵
Before coming to North America, Ramen Danbo has expanded since their earliest shop in 2000 to over 20 spots all over Japan. Their first location, about 16 kilometers southeast of Fukuoka, the epicenter of tonkotsu ramen style, received much praise and allowed them to become a chain and expand towards growing demands in other cities.
They were also a hit when they came to Vancouver and then Seattle, and now have decided to test their fortunes in the New York City market in... *checks notes*... Park Slope? In a spot that already went through two very forgettable ramen makeovers, Danbo has come in to put all this change to bed for good, we can hope.
The first meal here started off auspiciously as an older Japanese man was placing multiple orders for gyoza to go after finishing his bowl of ramen. Something tells you he had enjoyed his soup.
In its simplest form, this ramen is about the Kyushu Hakata style, one of Japan's most popular and not simple at all. They still import the ramen-dare soup base from Japan and boil pork bones at high heat to create their flavor profiles.
The signature classic ramen ($10.45, above) is broth, noodles, chashu, scallions, and a dollop of their homemade "top secret" spicy tare sauce. The appearance of simplicity is disproved by the complexity of the broth.
Ramen Danbo also seems proud of their offer to customize your preferences in each bowl, with the availability of harder or softer than "standard" noodles and even thicker noodles instead of their "classic" thin version. Noodle science is very important in Japan, and to my knowledge the thin noodles seem too intertwined for this style of ramen, so the bowls were not customized in any way. It is also possible to level up your spiciness with added ichimi togarashi red pepper powder.
This was done with the next bowl, the negi-goma rekka ramen ($12.95, above). Negi-goma ramen adds two sesame components to the tonkotsu pork broth base, a white sesame oil and roasted sesame seeds which cover about half of the bowl when it arrives. For sesame lovers, this is a unique upgrade and worth tasting, the flavors mesh well and enhance each other.
On a return visit, a bowl of miso ramen with extra chashu.
It is an easy walk from the 7th Avenue Q train station, with only a few blocks (and approximately 25 strollers to avoid) on your way to ramen bliss. Help welcome Danbo to the city and see for yourself!
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Ramen has become one of the most popular dishes. Amazing!
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