Ivan Ramen

Ivan Orkin was originally from Long Island and discovered his passion for Japanese culture and more specifically ramen at a young age. He moved to Tokyo and opened a ramen shop there where it became a success. This was unheard of for a foreigner and in 2013 he opened his first shop back in the US. We went to the shop on Clinton Street  I've had a dish by him during a food fair in Brooklyn but never actually tried his ramen. T said she enjoyed it so we decided to go for dinner one night. I really loved the casual and hip atmosphere and there was a cute bar that we went to right next door while we waited. There were so many things on the menu that sounded delicious and I will definitely be back to try them out!

Chinese Greens & Garlic - Sweet Soy Pickled Love Sauce 
I loved the crispy veggies doused in the perfect amount of tangy sauce. This was a great way to wake up your palate and I also enjoyed the cheeky name of "love sauce". 

Kewpie Ebi - Fried Whole Prawns, Smoked Chili, Watercress, Lemon
Kewpie mayo is magic in a bottle and makes everything taste better. The shrimp was juicy and fried to crispy perfection but I feel that this is a dish you can get at other places but definitely recommended if you are in the mood for it! 

Tofu Coney Island - Miso Mushroom Chili, Yellow Mustard, Scallion
This is one of their most famous dishes and I LOVED it. The tofu had a super thin layer of batter and the miso mushroom chili was just exploding with umami. I could eat this entire plate myself. 

Triple Pork Triple Garlic Mazemen - Tonkotsu Broth, Pork Chashu, Whole Wheat Noodle
The noodles were super chewy and spingy and I loved how the entire bowl is smothered with scallions since I am a scallion fiend. The noodles had a very robust flavor and I've never had mazemen before but I quite liked the thick or "dry" aspect of it.

Ivan's Dan Dan Noodle "Dry Style" - Aromatic Sesame Oil, Spiced Pork Saute, Thick Whole Wheat Noodles, Egg Yolk
This was my friends and I took a bite and also loved it. I love dan dan noodles in general and this version was very interesting and delicious. The flavors were on point and once again I loved the texture of the noodles. 

I really enjoyed my time at Ivan Ramen and I think it's a great spot to go with good friends for a delicious casual meal. I definitely want to come back again soon! 

Ivan Ramen

25 Clinton Street

New York

NY 10002

Wynonna's MayPac BBQ

W, my favorite hostess with the mostest, always spoils everyone with the most delicious BBQ and I was super excited to hear that she was going to have one for the much anticipated boxing match. I was also extra happy because it was the first BBQ of the season after a cold cold winter. Once again the BBQ was damn delicious and I can't wait for her next one! 

I almost want to blow this up as a huge art piece on my wall x_x

Golden Shopping Mall Food Court

I've always heard that Flushing was the real deal when it came to Chinese food but it was always so far away that I never really pulled the trigger and went. W's cousin was visiting and we had a car so it was the perfect time for my first Flushing experience :D We went to the food court at Golden Shopping Mall and I saw Lan Zhou Handmade Noodles which I heard was really good! I LOVE knife sliced noodles so I got that in soup. The noodles were so chewy and it was pretty good but I think I prefer the non-soup/sauce version. We also got other noodles, xiao long baos, and Taiwanese food. The one thing that I loved the most was the chicken skewers from the street cart. They reminded me of my beloved chuar from Beijing. It was incredibly juicy and heavily spiced with cumin etc. LOVE IT. We also got bubble tea (duh) and you can also go the supermarket to stock up before going back to Manhattan.

Golden Shopping Mall 

4128 Main Street

Flushing

New York 

NY 11355