nykeiko eats: Japanese comfort food at Kissaten Jin [Harlem]

Kissaten Jin

Ramen, ramen, ramen, I love ramen. I was craving for some ramen the other night (I crave ramen a lot) and Jin Ramen seemed to be the only ramen in our neighborhood in Harlem. Of course, it wasn't close by but since it was early in the day, we took a nice long stroll to 125th and Broadway which was about 30-minute walk away. It was a beautiful evening after it had rained all day and we enjoyed strolling hand-in-hand through Striver's Row, St-Nicholas Park, City College of New York and discussing Harlem's potential and how great that we live here.

When we got to Jin Ramen, an unexpected line had already formed outside. It was still early in the evening we thought but hey, if you're close to Colombia University and the only ramen joint around, you're going to get a lot of business. To our delight, Kissaten Jin which is next door, had a shorter wait and a menu that excited me more. What caught my eye on the menu? The Sake Ikura don. Sake and Ikura are possibly my two favorite japanese word. I love salmon and salmon roe and on rice? Perfect! If I moved to Japan, I think I'd eat dons all the time! What a great comfort food.

I ordered one $12 Donburin set (which includes a miso soup and salad) and extra salmon for $8 so Dave can enjoy it too. He ordered a Ikura Oroshi Soba with extra side of beef. Dave initially wanted to try the Obanzai set which sounded great but was deterred when there was limit on protein dishes. He wanted all the protein dishes. Maybe next time we will try other dishes but now I know where I can go to tame my salmon cravings.

The menu...

Me eagerly waiting for my don...I wasn't even hungry.

The salads were small and had a strong vinegar taste.

Dave's soba. The side of beef came late and I forgot to take a picture. It was great with my rice since it was so salty.

Kissaten Jin's Ikura soba

My fave dish!

Kissaten Jin's Sake Ikura don

All pictures taken with  an iPhone6