We were on the Lower East Side and were looking for a place to have lunch when we stumbled upon Cho-Ko, a small ramen joint. The weather was perfect for ramen, so I was looking forward to it. It is a small place and I was surprised it was empty, although we arrived five minutes after their opening time. But it remained empty until we left...
They offer a lunch menu with an appetizer and a ramen for $13/$14 that is a good price. Jodi decided to go for the pork gyoza and the shoyu ramen, made with soy based broth, bamboo shoots, spinach, braised pork and half an egg.
The pork gyoza were very good, deliciously crispy on one side, with a tasty filling and a thin shell. I was surprised that they gave six pieces as part of the lunch.
The ramen was so so and I did not like the smell or taste of the broth.
On my side, I got the pork buns, as well as the gomoku ramen, a soup made with a soy sauce based broth, vegetables, shrimp, chicken, squid, pork and half an egg. The pork buns were pretty good and had lots of pork in it, smothered by a very good sauce.
But the ramen was not that great. Well, same base as the one Jodi picked, with too much bokchoy for my taste.
At least, I appreciated the noodles that were thin and had a nice bite...
I admit that I was disappointed with Cho-Ko: this is not a place I would go back to for sure. I think places like Zundo-Ya or Ippudo are much better!
Enjoy (I did)!
If you like this post, the photos or the blog, please feel free to share it or post a comment. Merci!