There are plenty of Japanese restaurants in New York, but when I’m craving a proper bowl of udon, I always end up at Raku, because their udon is amazing. The last time Steve and I went, we started with Otsumami, a small selection of cold Japanese snacks. One was ohitashi, blanched spinach served in a light dashi and soy sauce. The other was hijiki, a seaweed salad made with hijiki seaweed. Both were nice and perfect for nibbling while you wait for your noodles to arrive.
At Raku, I always order the Gyunan udon, which is their udon with beef. The noodles have that perfect springy texture, the broth is deeply flavorful, and the thinly sliced beef is tender and rich. The first time I came to Raku, years ago, I ordered Gyunan, and that bowl made such an impression that I have never felt tempted to try any of the other udon bowls on the menu. I stick with Gyunan every single time.
It was Steve’s first visit, so of course I recommended that he tried the Gyunan udon. He did, and now he’s hooked too. He added chili oil on the side, which gave his broth a nice kick.
I’ve had the soba pudding for dessert before, and it’s excellent, but this time we were too full to even consider it. Though when the check arrived, it came with a small plate with two frozen grapes. A sweet and thoughtful little ending to the meal, even without dessert. I love details like that.
Raku doesn’t take reservations. You just show up, put your name on the list, and hope the wait isn’t too long. We were told it would be about an hour, so we walked over to Murray’s Cheese to pass the time. We had barely sat down before we got the message that our table was ready. Other times I’ve been, the wait has been anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes.
Raku, 48 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012
