Mu Ramen

Reviews 4

MU

Mudda Faukkar

I knew it was a bad sign when I was greeted by the rudest and most vulgar woman Ive ever met. I came a little early and the woman yells 5pm! I get it, its the popular place right now but they are just taking it in the wrong way - by being rude and cocky. Well Karma is coming sooner than know it. Is the ramen that great? Hardly. Ill admit its decent but to have to wait outside for who knows how long? No way. Comparable ramen like Totto and Ippudo are better options and heres why. This is in the middle of nowhere. I felt my car will be stolen or worst, torched, when I return. To say the location is off the beaten path is an extreme understatement. I mean if you ever wonder what it feels like to go to Chernobyl or some nuclear wasteland, come see for yourself. I tell you, I couldnt wait to leave this toxic dump zone as I floored the gas on my car. Second, do you really want to be told no, you must wait outside or no, credit cards not accepted. Seriously? Were not even talking about Apple Pay and already no to credit cards which existed since what, the Stone Age? Is it really worth this inconvenience for those of us keeping up with the times? And really for what? So they can maximize profits by cooking up their books? We all need to say enough and not patronize businesses that practice this bad practice of accepting cash only. Also, this place is all hype. Yeh, sure the wait is long but guess what? The wait at McDonalds would be just as long if there was only one restaurant and it only seats 12 ppl. As I say, dont bother coming since they dont bother investing more in a bigger place. Just a bunch of penny pinchers creating artificial hype. Lastly, decent ramen with awful service just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. There is absolutely no excuse for being inconsiderate and rude to customers. To summarize, rude service, too many rules - just go to their website and read their FAQs and youll get a taste of the nasty ppl youll have to deal with. Location is a toxic dump site. I actually forgot but extremely uncomfortable seating at the bar with no foot rest. And does it really cost a full $20 for a bowl of ramen? OMG, just dont do it. I highly, highly DO NOT DO NOT recommend coming here. Youve been warned. Come at your own risk!!!

CH

Christopher Snyder

The food is excellent but the service and respect for the customer sucks. I am frequently in LIC for climbing and so I have been here several times but I am definitely done with this place. For starters it is constantly, randomly closed. The business hours say it should be open but it frequently isnt. They just dont open sometimes which is infuriating if you trekked over there. Second, they cannot make up their mind whether they accept reservations. There is always a wait for this place. I have been told when I call that they do not accept reservations. Other times I have been waiting an lo and behold, a couple walks in with a reservation an jumps to the front of the queue. Seems like the policy changes from time to time or they will only allow reservation s if you are a certain type of person. Whichever it is, its capricious and annoying. Most frustrating of all for a place that always has a wait... They will not even put your name on the wait list unless everyone in the party is there. Not seat you... Wont even LET YOU START WAITING unless EVERYONE is there to wait for two hours with you in their tiny cramped waiting area. I get that some other places do this but it is foolish and disrespectful. Everyone has that friend that is habitually late. Once we had to wait for an extra hour or more because they would not put our name down until he arrived too. When he arrived 15 min later the list had swelled with several groups. Last Saturday, my girlfriend wanted to go there so we arrived 15 minutes before it opened to make sure we wouldnt have to wait. There were already others there waiting, of course. Five minutes before they were supposed to open, the hostess came out and informed us that the restaurant would not be opening until 30 min after its normal time because... Drumroll... "We just arent ready yet". This place seems to be doing fine... They clearly dont need my business.

LE

Lena Wu

The main seating--3 large 4-top wooden tables with matching benches and stools joined in the center of the small dining room--is the focus of a single light fixture hanging over the space. Immediately entering the restaurant, your eyes focus on the aesthetic ramen and plated "treats" softened by the vignette that hides the jackets hanging loosely on the hooks lining the walls. The minimal staff is friendly; I enjoyed talking to the server and watching the chefs working behind the counter While the flavor profiles of the ramen are unique, Im not sure if these bowls are worth the prices (average bowl was about $18 and appetizers $16) and effort of making the visit. I liked the Ill Shoyu more than the Mu Ramen, but perhaps because I love duck. Unfortunately, as someone who regularly eats oxtail and oxbone broth, I couldnt discern the oxbone in the Mu Ramen broth, but I immensely enjoyed the cucumber notes. I will likely return because novel flavors often require a second taste. I was happily surprised by the nuances in the Tebasaki Gyoza or deep fried chicken wings stuffed with Hudson Valley foie gras and brioche, which were essentially boneless except for a small bone to use as a hold while consuming. The spicy mustard green side is very spicy and better mixed into the broth or eaten with the noodles. Chashu is similar to rounds, very fatty and come at a generous sized slice, while corned beef on the Mu came in two small slices, which placed side by side looks like the size of about 6 stacked playing cards. Both Mu Ramen and Ill Shoyu came with wavy ramen noodles, and the poached egg (extra topping) didnt add too much value to the Mu Ramen. The restroom had a similar nice atmosphere. The wait was surprisingly long for 45 minutes before closing at around 9:15 PM on a weekday night.

AU

Austin Bonk

In my five years living in NYC Ive had my fair share of ramen, but Mu takes the cake.
The staff was incredibly accommodating and quick to notice you. Fast on the watering and the wait wasnt bad at all. (about fifteen minutes during lunch on a friday)

We started off with the drumsticks with foie gras. The skin was crispy and the chicken was moist, with the foie gras having kind of a stuffing texture it was like a fried portion of thanksgiving. At 16 dollars for two drumsticks it was pricey but then again, getting quality ingredients is always a plus.
Then we had the corn meal scallion pancakes with smoked trout. INCREDIBLE, I could eat them all day everyday. I couldnt believe the texture, having kernels of sweet corn moistening up every bite and the scallions blending harmoniously with the trout it really was phenomenal. As for the Ramen I got the spicy miso. The broth was on the heavy side but not in a negative way, it had "curves". I had a Image result for sous vide egg and pork jowl witch just melted in your mouth and was seasoned with perfection. The noodle had a wonderful resistance and paired well with the dish.

Overall if I could give it four and a half stars I would but simply because it is pricey. I think if you live in NY and even if you dont you should take your time and go out to LIC and visit Mu Ramen. Its absolutely worth it!