Menkui-Tei
63 Cooper Square
(Btw 7th St & Astor Place)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 228-4152
You probably have passed this place a million times when you’re walking down to St Mark’s place or down on Cooper Square. I know I’ve been around here a trillion times and never noticed that right on the block where the pizzaria is and the hotel is that there lies on the middle of the block, a ramen shop that screams of a real japanese ramen like you would see in Japan.
It looks pretty small on the outside, but wait until you get inside. I had this preconceived notion that there was going to be a ramen bar, a few tables and that will be it, like how I see it in Japanese anime, like Naruto, lol, and on tv. But whoops, I am wrong. Inside the restaurant, there are tables that you can see by the window, and then there is a short hall leading into the back of the restaurant with more tables! Yeah!
Just know that this place is pretty spacious. If you’ve been to the other Japanese restaurants around the neighborhood, especially on St. Mark’s place, then you know what I mean.
I came by here around 5:30 and it was pretty quiet. By the time it hit 6:00, more and more people started to come, which I’m sure is a very good sign. The restaurant played very mellow Japanese music, which my bf absolutely loves, then followed by Evanescence, which wasn’t that cool. We both preferred it if they stick to mellow Japanese music, that way it makes the dining experience that much more pleasant. Now let’s start with the appetizers!
APPETIZERS!
A)
B)
C)
If you guessed Edamame, Gyoza, and Mabo Tofu you are correct!!! These are our favorite appetizers and we had to try it at least once to see if it’s better or worse than the others I have tasted. After trying all 3 dishes, if you think they’re nothing out of the ordinary, baby, you’re wrong. Wrongg!! Maybe except for the edamame. But I’ll tell you why.
Edamame – Lightly salted & boiled soy beans
Price: $3.25
I always say, the saltier the better. Here, they weren’t generous enough with the salt, which made it pretty darn bland. I’ve had edamame better at Gobo, the vegetarian restaurant, than here. But I must say, if you’re a fan of edamame, go for it. You can’t go wrong for the price and you can eat it like you do with peanuts
Not Recommended
Rating: 2/5
Gyoza – Fried pork dumplings (6 pieces)
Price: $4.00
My god!! These are the best gyozas I have ever had! The pork was nice, tender, and surprisingly juicy! I loved the skin, it wasn’t too thick and doughy and is cooked just right.
Recommended!
Rating: 5/5
Mabo Tofu Sauteed Spicy Ground Pork & Tofu
Price: $6.00
THE BEST MABO TOFU I HAVE EVER HAD! Straight up. The Chinese invented this dish, but the Japanese makes it better. No hatin’, no hatin.’ The tofu is fresh, rich and creamy like the kind of tofu that I had at Kyotofu. If you’ve been to Kyotofu, you’ll know what I mean. And also the good thing about this dish is that it’s not overwhelmingly spicy, like how I had it in the past in Chinese restaurants.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Rating: 5/5
RAMEN!! NOODLES!
Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen rich pork bone broth & soy sauce flavored noodle soup
Price: $7.50
The pork bone broth needs more salt, but at least it’s not loaded up with MSG. Honestly I’ve had my share of pork bone soups and broth and they’re pretty much bland. This however wasn’t bland and does have flavor, just that to me I didn’t think there was enough salt. The ramen is soft and delicious and it goes very well with the broth. The piece of pork is honestly bland and it was a little tough to chew, but it was alright. The ramen is really about the noodles and its broth.
Recommended
Rating: 4/5 – Very Good
Char- Shu Men Soy Sauce Flavored Noodle Soup Topped w/ Extra Pcs of Roast Pork
Price: $8.75
After stealing a bite from my bf, the only thing I can say about this is that it is very enjoyable to eat. As you can see, there are the same pieces of pork that you saw with my noodles and some bamboo shoots. I am not a fan of soy sauce soup, but it compliments well with the pork, which is probably why my pork tasted bland and hard. My bf is a hardcore ramen eater and he loved this.
Recommended
Rating: 4/5
There are just so many things to try at this restaurant. I definitely would love to come back here and eat.
Now I leave with you with the NYC Health Inspection report!
MENKUITEI
63 COOPER SQUARE, MANHATTAN 10003
Current violation points: 4/28
Inspection Date: 07/24/2006
No violations that present a threat to the public health or relate directly to factors which lead to foodborne illness were recorded at the time of this inspection.
1.) “Choking first aid” poster not posted.”Alcohol and Pregnancy” Warning sign not posted. “Wash hands” sign not posted at hand wash facility. Resuscitation equipment: exhaled air resuscitation masks(adult & pediatric), latex gloves, sign not posted. Inspection report sign not posted.
2.) Non-food contact surface improperly constructed. Unacceptable material used. Non-food contact surface or equipment improperly maintained.
My god, all I have to say is this pancake is mucho mucho spicy!! I know Kimchi is supposed to be spicy, but this was burning my mouth like crazy!! It was a painful experience, but strangely it tasted pretty alright. Maybe because I was really hungry. Hey, Lol, doesn’t this look like a pizza? It does come in a whole pie, not that big like you would with a pizza, but it’s certainly not worth the $13.
Honestly, these are the best korean dumplings I have ever had in my whole entire life. It’s nice and crispy on the outside, but not too crispy, and soft and juicy on the inside. I think the inside has marinated pork, leek, and something else. There is a fair share of meat inside and it meshes very well with its crispy skin.
I didn’t have this personally, but I did have a little taste of it. My friend who ordered this thought it was pretty good. A lot of places would cook it pretty bland, but this place does it pretty well. It can definitely be better, but it’s alright.
I didn’t post too many pictures of the meat because it basically looks the same but looks different. A waitress will come and periodically check on the meat to see if it’s done. As she’s cooking it, let me tell you how strong that aroma is!! People from other tables are looking at our table with envy, I’m sure, and even the new people that came ordered the bbq as well! Let me tell you, oh man, both the meats are so sweet and succulent! Trust me, you gotta have it with a side of rice. Even though the rice was purple, it still tastes like rice and it went well with the meat. Oh my gosh. Wow, it was the best pieces of meats thanks to them marinating it! But it really wasn’t enough for 4 people.
This is just the front of the restaurant. There’s actually a lot more room than I thought since there’s an extension and an extra back room to the right.
Steamed Thai Chicken Dumplings stuff with chicken, shallot, peanut, and radish in a traditional thai rice and wrap
This is by far one of the best crabcake I have ever eaten before. I know, I know, this is a thai restaurant and I should be eating “thai” food, but I must say, the chef did an excellent job to this dish. The meat was very tender, moist, and succulent with juices literally flowing out when you bite into it. You have to be careful with it because it falls apart quickly when you poke into it. One was enough to get me full, so don’t underestimate this dish.
This is a very strong drink that is loaded with absolut vodka so don’t be fooled by it’s color and cuteness. It certainly made me tipsy on a couple of sips, and I am not a lightweight. I would still recommend this drink, especially if you know what it is and you like something a little strong. If you don’t, then stay away from this.
Vicky’s pick of the night and that poor girl was already stuffed from all the appetizers. She tells me that this is a very tasty juicy duck. For a girl who’s very picky about food, I believed her, that and I had a taste for myself and it was deee-licious! The duck is oven roasted as you can see, so it’s not fried up or anything like that. Although the presentation is sorta lacking, this is still a very good duck, but not as good as the way how the Chinese make their ducks.
This looks awfully Chinese, because of the rice noodles, bean sprout, and eggs, but there’s duck on this and romaine lettuce which I both love. But when it comes to the flavor of this dish, it meets expectations! The duck is a little dry, but that’s alright because when the chef stir-fried this, the juices and fat got sucked into the rice noodle, which is okay because it gives that greasy ducky taste. I’m already impressed that the dish of noodles is placed on a cute little wok. Very cute. But yes, you can’t imagine how much I like this dish, I really truly do.