When we went to Kame with our friends Jen and Gary, there was a sense of deja vue and, thanks to the blog, I realized that we went to that place years ago, but not in that location on 8th avenue: their previous location on Park Avenue. At the time, I found it good, thinking that I would go back, but with all the restaurants to try in New York, I never did, until now. Yes, not only did we go with our friends, but we went back few weeks later to try some of their appetizers, that I always find they are ignored in this type of places, people focusing mainly on ramen. Don’t get me wrong: their ramen is quite good, each proposed two ways: spicy or not. I went for a regular tonkotsu ramen, where the creamy pork broth was bathing kikurage mushroom, scallion, black garlic and a deliciously braised pork belly. Rich and comforting, it was really filling. Jodi had their shoyu tofu ramen from their vegan menu that was composed of green noodle in a shoyu base, grilled tofu, scallion, bamboo shoot, kikurage mushroom, shiitake and seaweed. We both added a perfectly made steamed egg, a must have with ramen. I should mention that I was so excited with my ramen that I forgot to take a photo of Jodi’s. But, I still had a taste of it and found it pretty good, tasty, the broth having some depth, far from tasting like a classic vegetarian broth, to the contrary.

Now, let’s go back to the appetizers: they have a wide choice, even in the vegan menu, where Jodi got to try their vegan gyoza (marinated vegetable, mushroom, cabbage and ponzu sauce), that I found pretty good, but lacking a bit of crispiness, or the impossible meat bun that is an original offering, mirroring the katuni bun made with pork that I got. Good, but messy to eat as they put lots of mayo and Japanese BBQ sauce on it, and we both thought there should be more meat in it. I had two favorites: the fried chicken or karaage, that was crispy on the outside, the chicken being moist. This was so good on its own that I did not care much about the spicy may (not so spicy) it was served with. This is probably one of the best karaage I had, oftentimes this dish being a bit dry, with the chicken slightly overcooked. My second favorite is their takoyaki that is a fried squid ball topped with mayo, tonkatsu sauce and bonito flakes that move when placed on something hot (it is called the “waggle dance”). I love that dish that I discovered in Japan and never hesitate to order it when on a menu, and at Kame, they are quite good, the sauces creating an explosion of flavors in your mouth. I also tried their Ika Geso (or fried Squid Leg) that is fried squid tentacles served with Japanese mayo. Crispy, nicely salted and perfectly cooked, I like it. The last dish I tried was their Japanese Berkshire pork sausage or kurobuta sausage that had nothing extraordinary and tasted like any hot dog sausage you would buy.

With our meals, we had their green tea that came in a small pot that they refilled with water from time to time, as well as their plum lemonade. But, if you’d like, you can get some hot sake or beer.

Overall, we had great meals at Kame. My favorite meal would be the fried chicken (karaage) or takoyaki for appetizer, followed by their tonkotsu ramen that was superb! This is definitely a place to know. And if you are vegetarian or vegan, ask for their vegan menu as they do not bring it systematically (they probably should).

Enjoy (I did)!

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Kame - 330 8th Ave, New York, NY 10001

Kame in NYC, NY

I Just Want To Eat!