Don't be fooled by the word ramen in its name: Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns Ramen is a Chinese restaurant that offers flavorful dishes at prices that do not break the bank. There, one of their star item is the lamian or hand pulled noodles that Chef Peter Song, a native from China, prepares in the kitchen.
This is a small place, crowded, especially during the week, being located on 8th avenue and so, spoiled with a lot of passage.
We went on a Saturday early evening. I guess we were right not to go too late as, when we left, the restaurant was full. And trust me, it filled up quickly as we did not stay hours there: you sit, you eat and you go. Not that they were pressing us to leave, but this is not the place for a tête à tête, the tables being very close to each other. Don't get me wrong: you get the same feel when you go to other ramen places like Menkuitei or Totto Ramen.
So we decided to try some of their little steamed buns and ramen.
We shared:
The Kung Fu steamed pork buns:
These are soup dumplings that I guess are a hit in most restaurant, not only for the taste, but also because people try to understand how the soup made it inside (they do not use a syringe, but just freeze it, before putting it in the dumpling). It was fairly good, a bit fatty, but in a good way. I would put them at the level of Joe's Shanghai.
The way I eat them is from the top, after placing the dumpling on a spoon (the plate is for the photo only...).
Only problem was that it was a bit sticky and we had to be careful when lifting them from the steamer as one or two broke and leaked.
Then, we tried the vegetable dumplings:
For sure, the green color stood out...inside and outside. It was just ok for me: too much broccoli and the filling was a bit dry.
Last was the ramen. I decided to go for the roasted duck one.
I forgot how difficult it can be to eat duck with chopsticks because of the bones. But I made it. It was very flavorful altogether, the duck giving lots of flavors to the broth that, on its own, did not stand up like the broths you can have at places like Ivan Ramen or Ippudo.
The noodles were delicious and perfectly cooked.
It was ok overall. Would I go back? Maybe. This is not a must go.
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!