David Bokov stood in line outside of a tiny Japanese restaurant in downtown Manhattan. The place only has 10 seats, and only serves three dishes. Everyone’s favorite noodle runs out early.
“I’ve been waiting all month for this,” said Bokov, a visiting student from Seattle.
Welcome to the Ramen Lab, an experiment trying all kinds of noodles from the homeland. For the past three years, this restaurant at 70 Kenmare St. has brought in a new chef from Japan every month.
Mensho is here for September with only three dishes on the menu. They all include its claim to fame — paitan, a chicken broth ramen. Only the first four people who order the spicy version can have it. And only the first thirty people can have the famous whiskey and soy-sauce-soaked eggs.
Even on Mensho’s 10th day since arriving, there were about 20 ramen lovers of ages five to 62 lined up outside before opening.
At 5 p.m. sharp, the Japanese waitress walked out to take orders of their first customer. Hanging a clipboard for names on the glass door, she pulled out a small one-page menu.
“I’ve had many ramen dishes in New York,” said Jiro Matsumoto, a Japanese native who has spent the past 10 years in New York. “But this is exceptional. Mensho has been here for about a week and I have already come twice.”
Ramen Lab began in 2013 as the research and development branch of Sun Noodle, a company that provides custom noodles to famous chefs around America. In early 2015 it moved to Manhattan, where it started to host different ramen chefs monthly. Mensho is its 20th restaurant to be hosted.
The venue is narrow and holds about 10 customers at a time, with no seats. This is a nod to the Japanese tradition of tachigui, the concept of standing while eating fast food, like ramen.
It is wedged between another Japanese restaurant and a Chinese fast food joint. At this time of year, its proximity to the festival of the Feast of San Gennaro attracts new customers.
“I was at the festival and thought I might as well stop by,” said Nina Bontha, a young professional living in New York. “I will definitely be coming back!”