NICHE | LOWER EAST SIDE

Niche has to be the greatest culinary discovery of my time living in NYC. It appealed to me at first glance. The small, cozy space, a long communal table with just 15 seats and a small kitchen at the back where two chefs are busy preparing great Japanese fusion dishes. 

Being a fan of ramen, especially of its broth, so I was curious to see if I would like a broth-less ramen, known as mazémen, as much. I did. 

Out of the various mazémen options they had the one which intrigued me the most was steak mazémen, noodles paired with medium-rare ribeye, pork sauce, menma (bamboo roots), spinach and a poached egg. What was great about it was that it had some sauce (which was just like a reduced broth) so the dish wasn't actually completely dry but exquisitely succulent. 

And for those who can't fathom the idea of a ramen without broth, you can order a normal one instead. 

Niche - $$