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Zuzu Ramen opens in Park Slope
MacLaren's, banh mi's, and ramen. Park Slope now has it all. Two weeks ago it was banh mi in Park Slope. This week it's ramen from Zuzu Ramen. While I was disappointed with my experiences at Hanco's, I was very pleased when after a late dinner at Zuzu Ramen last night. It's about damn time we got some ramen in Park Slope. What, you expect yuppies to go all the way to Manhattan for Japanese noodles?
This past weekend they were open for friends and family, and last night they finally opened to the general public. They have some non-noodle things on the menu like vegetable dumplings, pork & beef dumplings, pork buns and other stuff that I didn't bother to take notes for because they'll probably put up a menu on their website soon or something (I hope). Sometimes you're just too hungry to take notes about what's on the menu.
The waitress described the pork buns as pork that's braised for five hours. And there's cucumber and some dipping sauce. Basically this is a variation of the pork buns you would find at momofuku. And the momo version is a variation of this thing called 'gua bao' that I used to eat often in Taiwan (see here for an example). Gua bao's have pork belly in them, along with peanut powder, mustard greens, and cilantro. It's basically soft pork crack. I think you can find this in Flushing but maybe not in Manhattan.
Long story short, these pork buns are good, but not as good as the Momofuku ones. Zuzu Ramen's version is meatier and have more meaty substance. Because they have a lower fat content, you don't get the whole pork fat dripping down your chin thing. Zuzu's version is still juicy and maybe you prefer a meaty bun. I would call for more fat though. These buns also come with a dipping sauce, which my friend Patrick said was kind of like duck sauce with sriracha. I like the sweet and spicy dipping sauce. You should dip to your hearts delight. For $8 dollars, these things are kind of on the same price point as the pork buns at Momo, so I'm not sure I'd get these every time.
The one thing I heard about Zuzu Ramen prior to their opening was that they would have this green curry miso ramen. Just putting the words green curry miso ramen together in one dish is pretty amazing. Often you would see Japanese style curry with miso in ramen, but green curry is something you normally see in Thai restaurants. For just $10 dollars, I just had to get this thing.
A bowl of green curry miso ramen comes with some thai basil on top, green vegetables, a sheet of seaweed, a super duper soft egg, and some char siu pork. The pork is in the style that you normally see char siu at ramen places, and not the kind of char siu you get at Chinese restaurant. Where as the pork needed more fat in the pork bun, the pork in the ramen was perfect. It was a great complement to the spicy miso broth. Too many times, the braised pork belly in a ramen dish just falls apart. Zuzu Ramen's char siu keeps it's structural integrity even as it soaks in the addictive broth.
If you order this ramen, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with your first sip of the green curry miso broth. It really is quite unlike any other broth in the entire city. Due to it's strong green curry flavor and it's heat, I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. You have to like spiciness to your ramen and not everyone digs that. Zuzu Ramen also cooks their ramen really al dente. Noodles here are quite toothsome and not soft at all.
Pat ordered the Zuzu Ramen Special which looks kind of like a shio ramen at most ramen restaurant. The broth is strong and flavorful, but at $14 dollars, it represents a premium over places like Ramen Setagaya, which just opened their third branch in the city. See Eater for details if you want.
Zuzu Ramen posts a weird dilemma for me because I really like eating ramen, and I really like cheap shit. They're kind of like a ramen place on 4th ave in Brooklyn, and they have East Village prices. If you're not familiar with 4th ave in Brooklyn, it's a street with four lane traffic, and when the light is green, cars breeze by at 50+ miles per hour. It's really not some quaint little street in Brooklyn, it's also not picturesque by any means. So how can this area compete with the East Village in ambiance? If the green curry miso ramen stays at $10, then Zuzu Ramen pretty much gives you the best way to spend $10 in all of Park Slope. It's not even close. There's nothing else around the hood that's as unique or as filling as the green curry miso ramen. Sure, you can get yourself a sandwich for less, or get some chicken from Los Pollitos, but you could get that kind of stuff anywhere. Why not try something new? It's spicy, delicious, and the best $10 you can spend in Park Slope.
And you didn't think I would link to that Da Dip video, now did you?
Zuzu Ramen
173 4th Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11217
718-398-9898
Map
Sign up to the feed and never miss a post!Posted by Danny on March 11 2009 at 3:50 am
How long into the recession/depression before 4th Ave turns back into tire-change alley? Is the fancy hotel south of Union still turning a buck?
This spot looks pretty good, nice report. I will check it out - right after I'll go get a totally overpriced (but delicious) treat at Trois Pommes and then a latte at Gorilla before the recession/depression take those away from me.
FN on March 11 2009 at 5:49 am
Haha, that Da Dip music video made me smile...gosh, that's from ages ago. I feel old now.
I would definitely try that green curry miso ramen. But that pork bun looks like it needs a little grease...
Su-Lin on March 11 2009 at 10:17 am
You've been eating quite alot of ramen lately! -=D
wonders on March 11 2009 at 11:57 am
Correction: I meant noodles -=X
wonders on March 11 2009 at 11:58 am
Mmm, that sounds interesting (but you're right - not for everyone/me, spiciness isn't my gameplan). BTW - the gua bao - I was JUST reading about that on a friend's site - http://saltysavorysweet.blogspot.com/2009/02/snacking-on-cheap-in-flushing.html $2 for a Flushing version! Smell another trip to Flushing soon? Round 'em up and let's get dumplings in there too! Hehe.
Yvo on March 11 2009 at 4:56 pm
Great to see this place has some decent food, a nice addition to the neighborhood. As far as $10 bargains go, I have to disagree, there are a good amount of spots, not more than a 10-15 minute walk where you can turn $10 into tasty deliciousness. Regardless, good to hear Zuzu gets your stamp of approval, if only for the green curry ramen.
Always Eating on March 11 2009 at 5:32 pm
Looks like we were there about the same time. Got my review up on optionalstaircase.com
Alex on March 11 2009 at 5:47 pm
That said...I really need to start bringing a better camera than my iPhone...the beauty of your food porn shames me.
Alex on March 11 2009 at 5:49 pm
yum, can't wait to go!
I can't believe you linked that song to this post.
Ang on March 12 2009 at 10:42 am
@FN,
Yea, 4th ave used to be mad shady. I hope it doesn't turn back into tire changing alley!
@Su-Lin,
That video is awesome, right?! haha. Green curry miso ramen is really surprisingly good. You would think someone would have thought of it already but it's really awesome.
@wonders,
Noodles are awesome! They're really great in the winter and since winter is about to be over, I'm trying to eat as much of it as possible.
@Yvo,
Ah.. gua baos. Those things are awesome. I like how it's getting some notoriety now that people make pork buns with the same kind of bun.
@Always-Eating,
I guess that extra 15 minute walk would be the difference. Also the $10 dollar price point. There's great stuff if you go to Franny's or Al di la or some other stuff. I just like green curry :)
@Alex,
Haha, yea on your pictures I can see the same people that I saw there.
@Ang,
The song is the best. Best ever.
Danny on March 14 2009 at 8:08 pm
Went here last night and I was really pleasantly surprised. Aside from Franny's and Al di la, as you mention, I agree that there isn't much reason to view Park Slope as a destination food spot. I got the Zuzu ramen, at my friend's suggestion and, while this was quite good, I'm looking forward to trying the green curry ramen. Totally agree the pork buns lacked the unctuousness of fat (Ippudo does pork buns even better than Momofuku, fyi). I really liked the warmth of the people and the space as well. Dead-on write up.
Mother Fresser on May 14 2009 at 10:20 pm
Awesome post! I'm definitely going to try out the green curry ramen--I've had the worst stuffy nose and it sounds like exactly what I've been looking for.
Brownie on May 17 2009 at 2:40 pm
I had a great dinner there and agree with most of what has been written. I thought that the broth was overly salty for the Zuzu shio ramen, and the pork in the pork bun overly sweet (the sauce adds a nice tangy bite, but also more (what I think is unnecessary) sweetness. I was wondering if the big bold flavor profiles are catering more towards the American palate than the Japanese one, because the saltiness of the broth prevented me from getting at the more subtle flavor profiles that might have been there. In fact, I was unable to finish the broth because of the saltiness. The egg was a good addition, helping cut some the saltiness. Noodles and the pork were cooked perfectly. I would love to visit Zuzu again to try the other dishes.
Alison on July 29 2009 at 7:13 pm