Bassanova Ramen

Best thing about jury duty (because there are so many things)? Eating here for lunch everyday. The vegetarian shio ramen is nuts — tangy from yuzu and rich broth with a hint of truffle? Yes thank you. Plus fresh okra and menma and baby corn wooo
Cash only, there’s a Chase on the corner.

Wanted to check out this new hip spot in the heart of Chinatown for a while. Finally got a chance to and boy i was not blown away. Let’s start with the food. Ordered the pork buns because it’s a must at Ramen spots but it was mediocre (rather stick with ippudo) then when it was time to order, I asked what does the waiter recommend and he named the top two ramen that was recommended inside the menu and walked away. Did not bother going more in depth which I didn’t like. Ramen was alright. I had the green curry and it was REALLY spicy and now I’m sitting on the toilet typing this (not ladylike I know) i prob won’t come back. Bright side, their décor are cute. I felt like I was by the sea.

Decided to try this place because it was on a «top ramen spot in NYC» list.
It currently has a «grade pending».
We ordered the Korean pancake appetizer, which took 25 minutes to come out. We watched other customers get their ramen before our appetizer, even though they sat down after us. The app was extremely bland and fairly expensive ($ 9).
The green curry ramen was decent, but the Tondaku Wadashi Ramen was not good at all. Very bland, little broth. Definitely won’t be coming back, and this place certainly doesn’t deserve any recognition for being a top ramen spot.

What a waste of money… A few years ago, I have gone to Basanova, and I remember their ramen was okay. I decided to give a try again and realized that they need to recheck their flavor…
I ordered Wadashi mini set from lunch menu, a mini ramen with a bowl of flavored rice. Ramen was too oily and their mixed soup of tonkotu and dashi was horrible. Dashi tasted almost bitter (it happens when you don’t clean the dried fish before boiling or boil them too long) and there was no collaboration of tonkotu and dashi.
The bowl of rice looked and tasted as if it was two days old, dry and rice was breaking.
Besides the flavor of the food, I noticed the ramen bowl had cracks all around. In my opinion, it is unacceptable and disgusting in the food industry to serve in a dish with such a horrible condition. Presentation matters too!
I am giving two stars because the waitress was very nice. The best thing I have had in Basanova today was a cup of water.

Nope nope nope nope nope. I was excited to come here and try the green curry ramen with garlic, roast pork, and okra. It was not flavorful at all. Also, it did not come with much broth. At better quality and more authentic places, the noodles are swimming in rich, delicious broth. Overrated and I regret coming here.

Had the lemon and black pepper ramen and rice combo. Surprised by the flavor, will be back.

No Ippudo but I really enjoyed my lemon pepper ramen. It was an interesting twist on ramen and Def worth a try. I wanted to try the green curry, they are known for but was afraid of it being too spicy. Later on I heard that they offer you coconut milk if it’s too sicu. So don’t shy away!
Service was kind of lame. Server could’ve Def been more helpful and warm. Environment was GREAT… cute, casual décor. Stepping inside is like a sanctuary compared to the hustle and bustle chinatown.

Cute restaurant and good standard ramen. We shared the pork buns which were good but it took a long time for it to get served. I got the tonkotsu ramen which was good but I didn’t like the mushroom that it was topped with. The broth was nice and flavorful and the noodles had a nice chew. We also ordered some kind of lunch special that had half portion of fried rice dish and a truffle ramen. The rice was nothing special and needed more soy sauce and the truffle oil was overpowering in the ramen, we couldn’t finish the bowl because we just didn’t like the strong flavor of truffle oil. Both ramens were topped with a nice slice of pork which tasted good and wasn’t too fatty. All in all, I would rather spend my $ 11 on a different ramen place but this place still is good but it didn’t blow me away.

Tried the famous green curry ramen at 8:30PM on Wednesday. Was super excited for it due to so many rave. However, as I drank the soup, I realized this was just green curry noodle. This is what I would call a ramen innovation fallen flat. The broth was the all too familiar green curry and noodle from south east asia disguised as hip ramen concoction for an expensive price tag. Some people love this combination. But if you are like me (looking for something more than just a combination of noodle + green curry), then you might find yourself some disappointment.
I am very much for creativity in food, but for now, the original pork/​chicken bone ramen is still hands down.

I give this place a 3.5 really. I always judge ramen restaurants by the quality of their broth. Often times I find that restaurants make their broth too salty for my taste. But here, the broth was perfect. It had minced garlic which gave it some extra flavor. The proportion of broth to the amount of noodle was also good as I did not find that my noodles were soaking up the broth. The noodles themselves were al dente, which is my personal favorite. The 2 slices of pork were also very flavorful. The pork slices appeared to be slightly pan-​seared/​fried.
My friend ordered a lunch combination which comes with a half bowl of ramen and half bowl of fried rice. They accidentally prepared a full bowl of ramen but gave it to her on the house. I tried some of the rice. I was not that impressed with the flavoring as it seemed to be doused with just soy sauce.
The service was decent. There appears to only be 1 server because the space is really small. As we were waiting to be seated, the server gave us menus to preview. We were finally seated at this big communal table, which we shared with about 6 other guests. Because we would feel the cold air every time the entry door opened, my friend and I asked to be reseated to a different table nearby. However, the server denied our request because it would disrupt his planned seating arrangement for incoming guests. Odd. I guess it makes sense given that it was a tight space with limited tables and only 1 server. But I personally felt that because it was just the 2 of us, it would’ve been harmless to reseat us.

The number one menu I needed to order from this place is Green curry ramen.
Best thing about this ramen is the soup. It’s flavorful, light, comforting and perfectly mixed well.
Chashu pork was a bit disappointing. looks better than it tastes. Quite flavorful but still a bit chewy.
The noodles were amazing, good texture and still got a bite. Pretty much al-​dente. That’s the way most people likes their ramen to be.

Why did it take me so long to find you? From your unique bowls, awkward wooden spoons and confusing buttons on the toilet seat, I can’t get enough.
SKIP, the Sizzling Hot Iron-​Pan Stick Dumplings. They’re just ok and awkward to eat because of the long size. Not a fan of the creamy awkward sauce it came with, either. If you do order these, pick them up w/​your chopstick from the middle and it will naturally fold over equally, because the underside is softer then the seared top; when you halve it like this, it slides in your mouth really easy (looks at the camera). Do NOT think you are clever by cutting these in the middle, because a lot of the filling will fall out and you will be pissed.
The wasabi marinated octopus was a spicy treat that should be had again and again.
Lemon & Black Pepper Tondaku Ramen was good. The amount of lemon looks like a lot, but it’s actually just the right amount and really adds that zing to the broth. However, the seeds will eventually drop into the broth that you will slurp up, unless you’re careful or take them bitches out.
The Tondaku Wabash Green Curry Ramen IS the go to. This is the broth that’s made me fall in love with Ramen all over again. Spicy, rich & slightly creamy, it’s decadent taste wrapped me in a glow that felt like the first time; yes, that first time. I have never had a curry broth like this (Thai or Indian included) and although it’s not something you find in a typical ramen house, the marriage is sublime. If you’re an okra freak like me, get more of it as an add on. This is the bowl you want for your first visit and beyond.
The chashu pork that comes with both ramens above is melt in your mouth good. This is worth the extra price as an add on as well, if you’re a pork fiend… like your boy
Overall price is comparable to the better ramen joints in the city.
Come here after 2 for lunch and the place is all yours. There’s communal tables and a counter spot, if you are flying Han Solo.
Don’t try and figure out the buttons on the toilet seat. It’s too confusing and you have broth to slurp. Besides, the people outside are gonna think you’re dropping the Tan’s off at the pool and they need to pee, too.
Minca, Ivan, Totto, Ippudo… and now this. A new love. If I was a Mormon, I’d marry all of them and eat a different one every night of the week (looks at the camera)

DRINKS:
Japanese draft beer was nice. I think it was Sapporo
SERVICE:
OK.
DECOR:
Like the rustic white wood décor. It definitely stands out in Chinatown
FOOD/​PRICE:
Wadashi Pork Tsukemen ($ 15) — Definitely not cheap eat but this is NYC after all. Bonito flavored dipping sauce. Interesting. Portion is rather small. underneath the noodles there were tons of ice cubes to keep the noodles cold (and also to raise the volume.)

Located in a basement, meaning the entrance is a bit hidden. I got the dipping noodle, and my sis got the green currency ramen. The noodle itself taste great, but the soup is ehh. The soup is thick but not with the broth. It is thick with a lot of oil that taste like nothing. At the same time, the soup isn’t too greasy. and it is pretty salty too.
Come here if you want some ramen in Chinatown!

Visiting the city and dying to have your ramen cravings satisfied but not quite in the mood for «normal» every day ramen findings? Then, Bassanova is right up your alley!
Order yourself a bowl of their famous Tondaku Wadashi Green Curry Ramen, which is served in the coolest bowl ever! The combination of the low key location of the restaurant and the sea shell looking bowl, simply makes you feel as though you’re dining in a hidden ramen shop on one of Japan’s smaller islands.
For someone like myself who is a fan of curry, I definitely appreciated the thicker broth because it’s so much more flavorful than your typical broth (for any soup noodle bowl). The pork was nicely cooked so, it wasn’t a battle to bite through like a shark shaking its head. Plus you got yourself a nice portion of greens for that balanced meal!
Oh yeah, one of the best parts is that its low key location makes it less long for you to get seated then some of the more popular ramen shops in the city (or at least at the time I stopped by, 2pm on a Saturday).

After hearing a lot of hype about the ramen here — and seeing that it was voted one of the top ramen spots according to various sites — I decided to come here and give it a go. I got the Lemon and Black Pepper Ramen and I have to just flat out say I did not think it was good at all. And the prices aint cheap either! The broth was lackluster and they had about seven actual lemon slices layered on top of the ramen so that I couldn’t even see anything else below, which made it a little hard to eat my ramen as well. I mean, I’m all about acidity in my broth, so give me a lemon wedge on the side or something or the broth should have enough lemon taste in it already, but stacking on a whole crap load of actual lemon in the ramen (with the rind and everything) just left a lot of bitter taste in my mouth with every bite I was trying to take.
The ramen wasn’t inedible, but it wasn’t very enjoyable either. I mean, I can’t make that solid of a judgment yet since I have only tried one of their ramen dishes so far, but still, this is one of their most popular dishes and it was that bad so I’m pretty skeptical about any of their other ones now. Anyway, for a $ 14 dollar bowl of ramen I was not very impressed. :/

I’ve been to Bassanova about a year ago and recently returned to give their ramen another try. I was quite surprised with the expansion of their menu, as it grew from a page with 5 items to a booklet with 5+ pages. I like how they expanded the variety of ramen styles, including the Original (soup), Mazemen (soupless) and Tsukemen (dipping soup).
They also have 3 different types of noodles (thin, wavy and thick). All the noodles are paired up with each type of ramen, though you can request a swap if you prefer one kind of noodle over another.
During my first visit, I tried their soup ramen (as that was the only option available back then) and thought the broth was too salty and oily. I usually prefer my broth less thick and cleaner.
This time around, I decided to try one of their other style ramens and ordered the vegetarian truffle soupless ramen. Thick, chewy, and somewhat al dente, the ramen was like a pasta dish. I fairly enjoyed it as the truffle oil made the noodles rich and aromatic, while the variety of lightly seasoned veggies balanced everything out perfectly.
The veggie toppings included: mixed green, red pepper, baby corn, kikurage mushroom, menma bamboo shoot, fried ginger onion, and scallion.
I also tried one of their dipping soup ramen (Tondaku Wadashi) and thought it was a bit tedious to eat (especially with the obnoxiously gigantic chopsticks). We were deceived with how large the portion was when the bowl came, as there was a huge block of ice placed beneath all the ramen.
The Tondaku Wadashi toppings included: Pork loin chashu, menma bamboo shoot, gyofun, nori, fried ginger onion, and scallion.
The flavor of the tondaku wadashi wasn’t anything memorable, though the pork loin was seared to perfection. I think I would recommend the soup over the dipping style, as it’s easier to eat, the broth is more drinkable (soup vs. sauce consistency), and you’re more likely to be able to kaedama if you’re still hungry.
Overall, I think Bassanova has improved since the past year or so. I think I would return to try some of their other ramens if I am around the neighborhood and if there’s minimal wait (which has been the case the last few times I’ve visited).

3.5 stars really, but service was good.
**CASH ONLY**
FOOD:
First off, I appreciate that they have a description of what is in each ramen and how they’re different from each other. They let you do half or full-​sized bowls. My boyfriend and I decide to do two half sized bowls and the stick dumplings.
— Stick Dumplings: they looked interesting l, served on a square cast iron pan. Served crispy, they reminded me more of flat egg rolls than the typical dumpling. I found them disappointing — super oily and not a lot of meat inside.
— Tondaku Ramen: a lot of pork flavor — so concentrated that it comes off a bit salty. Only comes with one piece of meat. If you’re hungry, then definitely go for the full size! I do love their noodles.
— Lemon & Black Pepper Tondaku Ramen: the only difference is the lemon and black pepper, which doesn’t sound like too much, but it makes a huge difference! Those four slices of lemon were so overwhelming that I couldn’t really taste the black pepper and it reminded me more of a chicken soup than ramen.
SERVICE:
We came in right when they opened, so it wasn’t too busy. Service was super attentive and our server explained everything thoroughly. Even when it started to become more crowded, he still checked up on us.
AMBIANCE:
For a place in Chinatown, I’d say it’s pretty nice. Just like most other places in the area, it’s really easy to miss — especially since it’s below ground level. It was dark, as expected, but still cozy. Perfect for a cold day (though it can be a cold if you’re sitting by the door). I also enjoyed the oversized chopsticks and spoon!

For lunch on a Saturday afternoon we stumbled upon Bassonova Ramen. I was a bit disappointed and unfulfilled. We’ve started with the pork buns. There was more bun than anything and the pork was really a piece of bacon. The flavour of the pork bun was lacking.
I had the half portion truffle ramen with each noodles. The noodles was al dente good. The flavour of the broth was really delicious. However, there wasn’t much broth. The pork was so thin and pretty much a piece of bacon on ramen. LoL. Although, I’ve ordered half portion at least give me some broth damn it!
I wouldn’t go back but I’m glad I’ve tried it so I know I won’t be missing this place. Ippudo, Mu Ramen and Ramen-​Ya are much better options especially for this price point. Stick to Chinese eats in Chinatown!

I was craving for ramen during our Chinatown visit and we didn’t want to drive to Ippudo or Totto Ramen since we know for sure we won’t have parking wherever we go in NYC. So we searched ramen place and this place came up. Located on Mott Street, right in central chinatown, this ramen place has mixed reviews (good and bad).
The place is pretty hidden to me, no big sign or advertisement at all. I had to read some reviews to find it since its kind of like in the lower level (basement according to me). The place is a bit old and dirty i would say. it wasn’t crowded at all when we visited (during sunday lunch time).
The price is pretty expensive (but ramen is all expensive), but the quality was just okay. My dad said it was kind of salty.