Lunchin' Solo: iKimchi - Spicy Fried Pork

I've heard about the Korean Food Cart on Lexington Avenue near Baruch College but never really found the time to get it. Finally, as I was running some errands in the neighborhood I decided to stand on the long line and wait for my food.

Good weather and street food don't go well together. I despise the long lines but for good food, it's worth it.

There's like 4 people running this little cart. The chef, the person assembling my tray, the person taking my order, and finally the guy that just replenishes the items in the cart. Their meals range from $5-7 and miso soup for $2 unless you get it with the lunchbox which is just $1 more.

Heard from J that the Spicy Fried Pork is good since he works in the area and got it multiple times, so that's what I got.

Not a bad deal, the Spicy Fried Pork w/ salad and rice was $6. They also prefer you telling them if you want kimchi or not along with the time when you place your order. Salad was on the weak side, can't you give me more? But, I did get hooked onto their salad dressing. So good! I'm guessing ranch and vinaigrette? I did see them squirting 2 different sauces on it!

Kimchi was ok, took me an hour to finally be able to eat my lunch which by that time, my kimchi was warm. I like my kimchi cold because it holds that crunch. Even though it was warm, the crunch was still there. A good little banchan to start with.

The combo came with fried rice, I wasn't too crazy about it because it was a bit on the hard side. But I do appreciate the meat. Very flavorful and they give a generous amount.

Not a bad choice for lunch since I can sort of justify the price. A lot of times Korean lunches can come out to being $7-10, especially around K-town but this is quite reasonable.

iKimchi
Lexington Ave (between 24th and 25th Street)
New York, NY 10010

Terakawa Ramen - Something new something old but always something good

Having ramen is a hit or miss for J and I now. Revisiting is also quite risky because the last time we went back to a ramen shop we liked, it was a huge disappointment. But...thank god Terakawa was still great!

The Terakawa Pork Bun ($6.50) was a new item on the menu, along with half a dozen more that was posted against the wall. I wanted much more but I tried not to be too greedy since we'll be having a bowl of ramen to ourselves.
The bun was different and tasty. Tasted more like a hamburger because of the lettuce, tomato and dressing. I really like how it's not your average pork bun with the sweet sauce and cucumber.

I had the Tan Tan Ramen ($10), I was hoping it would be spicier than it was since the description said it was a spicy miso broth. Even though it wasn't spicy enough, the broth was delicious and the wavy noodles were pretty good also. There was a lot of bean sprouts though. How about a little less bean sprouts and some more meat eh?

J's Miso Ramen ($9) was rich in flavor. Definitely felt like they've been cooking the broth for a while.

Good to know Terakawa is still up to par these days, maybe even slightly better than before. Service is quick and the staff is so enthusiastic to serve, makes you want to come back whenever you're in the mood for ramen.

Terakawa Ramen
18 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10010
(212) 777-2939