We recently stumbled upon a sterling find in a strip mall in Princeton Junction: Terakawa Ramen.
The New Jersey location of this ramen restaurant comes after an initial launch of two posts in Philadelphia, where it has amassed a legion of fans. It’s easy to see (and smell and taste) why: the ramen is phenomenal, and it all starts with a commitment to hand-made foundational aspects of dishes.
All the ramen start with immensely flavorful home-made broth. Added to it are one of two types of home-made noodles, followed by various veggies, herbs, meats and more.
A cool, misty lunch hour inspired us to try the spicy ramen (though, we’d recommend it regardless of the weather). It’s got a pork, chicken and seafood broth that is 100% irresistible. The perfect level of spice and salt, sweet and sour, savory and umami, it feels good for the soul to slurp it between grabs of noodles. And the noodles, by the way, are a good companion to the broth—thick, a little chewy, a little eggy, they feel substantial to munch on.
So good is the foundation of this dish that the fatty, crisped pork belly and vibrant kimchee is nearly an afterthought. We also sampled the pan-fried pork gyoza with a vinaigrous soy sauce: it’s a flavorful bang for your buck. The gyoza are crisped perfectly and the innards are tender, savory and perfectly spiced.
A great meal with unparalleled flavor for under $15? Go here.