Pan Asian Restaurant
(212) 529-2740
141 1st Ave
New York,
NY
10003
40.728
-73.9851
Neighborhoods: Downtown, East Village
What People Are Saying About Pan Asian Restaurant
The Editor
Justin Hartung
Citysearch
The Scene
In a design touch that borders on cruelty, hungry ramen fans are forced to line up in the hallway outside the glass-enclosed noodle house, with nothing to do but peer in at diners slurping broth at communal tables. Cozy dates and neighborhood singles squeeze into the bar seats, which offer a view of the noodle wizards at work.
The Food
Time waiting in line won't be spent looking at a menu, as there is really only one choice to be made: shio ramen, thin noodles submerged in broth, or tsukemen, thicker noodles with a sauce for dipping. Shio means "salt," and the broth has too much of it, but the tsukemen's dipping sauce is a wonder of complexity, potent with hearty blasts of scallop, garlic and ginger. And though the barbecued pork topping of both ramens is dry, a bowl of the addictive oyakodon--ground chicken with raw egg over rice--is anything but.
Hits: The myriad of flavors in the tsukumen dipping sauce will be a sublime shock to anyone whose noodle experience has been limited to Top Ramen.
Misses: Oversalted broth and dry pork will keep this from causing too much busines loss to nearby Momofuku Noodle Shop.
User Reviews
foodID27
August 05, 2008
Setagaya WAS the best ramen I ever had in NY when they FIRST OPENED. That was when they had an Expert team of Japanese Ramen Chefs making everything. But the experts left, and now the ramen is made by a bunch of local kids who don't care and the quality is mediocre. The broth is still pretty good by new york standards, but not as good as it was the first month or two, and the pork is always too tough now. (it's not roasted long enough) the noodles are the same though, but they come from a pre-made source, so it's almost impossible to mess that up. all in all, my biggest ramen dissapointment in ny. I wish you all could have had their ramen in that first month!!!!
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cleois300
December 30, 2007
Came here with three other friends on a Wednesday night, just after Christmas. It was not busy at all but then it was raining that night and it was just after Christmas. We ordered some oshinko, seaweed salad, gyozas, two shio ramens (noodles and broth served together), and two deluxe ramens with pork (not sure which ones; the noodles are served cold and the hot broth is on the side). Everything was good. I wish the noodles were hot. I'll ask for that next time. I believe it was about $66 after tax and before tip. We left $80. BTW: not all of the employees speak Japanese. Some spoke Korean. Not that it matters but don't expect every employee to be fluent in Japanese. (Just because you dine at a Italian restaurant, do you expect everyone to speak Italian? C'mon...)
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TardyKat
September 27, 2007
We arrived at 2.30pm and waited on the line, we were the last customers before they close for lunch at 3pm. The waitress asked us to pass along the message if someone else were to wait behind us. We sat the counter so it was interesting to see the chef cooking the noodles. I ordered the shio ramen, the soup stock was really tasty. My mom ordered the tsukemen, which is the same thing except the soup is served on the side. Her soup, however, was extra salty with juicy bits of meat floating inside. She also ordered a salt egg, shio tama. It wasn't very salty at all. For $2 more, my sister ordered the shio ramen BBQ pork, we don't know what the difference was fromt he shio ramen, except that it had additional slices of meat. Service was quick and no frills, just like the menu. No flourishes, you come for ramen, and ramen you get.
read full reviewThe Details on Pan Asian Restaurant
Know Before You Go:
When you walk in from the street, Setagaya is the first door on the right. Further back is a totally separate restaurant, Oriental Spoon.
When to Go:
There are no reservations taken, and kitchen frequently runs out of menu items, so arrive as close to opening as possible.
What to Drink:
Though there's currently no liquor served, big bottles of Ito En iced tea ($2.50), are a wonderfully refreshing alternative.
Category:
Payment Methods:
American Express, Visa, MasterCard
Restaurant Special Features:
Local Favorite, Lunch Spot, Dine At The Bar
