Eater awarded E.A.K as “Imported Restaurant Chain of the year” in 2017, I heard but shrugged it off. After all, there are just so many ramen restaurants in New York already, some of them are notoriously high profile - Ichiran, Ippudo, Santouka to name just a few.
When E.A.K. opened in Hells Kitchen, I didn’t even bother to visit until almost two weeks afterward. Summertime isn’t ramen inducing for me.
After my first gym session with a trainer this afternoon, I went there in hope to speed the recovery of my exhausted upper body.
My order of E.A.K. Ramen (their house signature - pork and chicken broth) has a thick and smooth stock with thick, al-dente noodles, topped with a slice of very tender chashu pork and a dollop of cooked spinach. The stock reminds me of Totto Ramen’s chicken-based stock - silky smooth and not overly salty.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Chashu(s)