Men Tenten Ramen

A bowl of noodle soup is one of the most comforting meals that I can think of. It soothes the soul, and can even cure you when you are sick. A dish that rejuvenates the soul as well as satisfies any hunger. Many great food cultures feature a dish like this. There are many variations of noodle soup found throughout the world. I grew up on my Nana's chicken soup with noodles and the matzah balls. The Vietnamese grew up on pho. In Taiwan they are crazy for beef noodle soup. While in Malaysia laksa is the go-to noodle dish for the masses. Yet the noodle soup that has become extremely trendy hails from Japan, and that is ramen. You might be thinking its just ramen, the same old noodles you can get for a dollar at the corner store while you were broke in college. Yet the world of ramen is actually quite deep, and more interesting than the instant ramen that we are most accustomed to.

High quality Japanese style ramen is taking the world by storm. Famous places like Wagamama, and Momofuku are stylish examples of just how far this trend has gone. The key to good quality ramen, is a quality stock, fresh noodles cooked to order, and of course all of the necessary condiments. To my surprise there is such a place here in Tel Aviv that offers quality Japanese style Ramen. Located in the Rothschild/Allenby Food Market is Men TenTen Ramen and Izakaya.

Men TenTen Ramen is the spot for Ramen in Tel Aviv. Men TenTen offers five styles of Ramen. The first on the menu is the Tongara Ramen. Tongara Ramen consists of a pork and chicken stock that has been simmered for over 18 hours. The ramen noodles are homemade and cooked to order. The ramen soup is garnished with a slice of roasted pork, scallions, bamboo shoots, and a soft boiled egg. One noticeable distinction for this ramen is that the broth is extremely rich and creamy. That is because it has been cooking for a long time so the fat from the chicken and pork actually emulsifies and becomes part of the stock. If you do not like pork, try their chicken ramen soup called the Torigara. For the vegan and vegetarians there are two options. One option is a take on Japanese style curry with their homemade noodles, potatoes, carrots, and curry broth. The other option is a seaweed and mushroom based ramen soup garnished with deep fried tofu, carrot, and daikon radish. The final and most unique version ramen Men TenTen serves is the Tsukemen ramen. Tsukemen ramen is unique in the the noodles are served on the side and are meant to be dipped into the concentrated soup broth. Add-ons include additional noodles, soup, slices of pork or chicken, deep fried tofu, or soft boiled egg.

To start or accompany your ramen meal, Men TenTen also offers a variety of traditional Japanese dishes. A variety of gyoza(potstickers) are on the menu with pork, chicken or mixed vegetable fillings. Another Japanese delight they serve is call Kushikatsu, which is deep fried skewers of either chicken or pork. Besides these absolutely delightful side dishes, they also over Karage(Japanese fried chicken and Tonkatsu(deep fried pork or chicken cutlet).

I think I have said everything that has to be said about this place. If you have not been yet I highly suggest checking this place out. They have absolutely delicious and beautiful food so you really have no choice but to check it out.