Pasta Ramen: Montclair, NJ
Pasta Ramen, you may think why are those two words being paired together? Well, let me tell you that the genius behind it was thinking ahead of his time. Chef Robbie Felice was influenced by the 1950s concept at a Tokyo restaurant, Kabenoana - meaning “hole in the wall” - he bought Wafu Italian to New York, Los Angeles, and Miami. Pasta Ramen is the first-ever Italian ramen shop, and it is a perfect marriage of Japanese and Italian culture and cuisine. It has received a lot of attention in the last few months as Pasta Ramen started out as an omakase pop-up and once it gained so much success, the first brick-and-mortar restaurant opened up in Montclair, New Jersey. As of now, bookings/reservations are being made on a monthly basis and they are going fast. I was able to snag a reservation for yesterday night and it was 100% worth the wait and hype.
I went with two close friends and had a night of catching up, drinking wine, and having an amazing tasting experience. We started out with three appetizers: Cacio e Pepe Gyoza, Polpette “Parmigiano” Bao Buns, and Crocchette Di Ramen. The Cacio e Pepe Gyoza was filled with perfection, giving that classic pasta taste but with a fried hard gyoza shell. Next, we had the Polpette “Parmigiano” Bao Buns, filled with vodka pomodoro, mozzarella, and pickle. It was like having meatballs in a Bao Bun, which made your mouth water. Those only came with two on a plate but you can split them down the middle if you have a bigger party. Our last appetizer before our main entrees came out was the Crocchette Di Ramen. This dish looked like two giant meatballs but it was actually filled with ramen bolognese, Parmigiano, and garlic shabu shabu. It gave full pasta bolognese taste with the added feature of being inside a giant shell, almost like fried mac and cheese balls but with way more flavor and taste.
Lastly, we all ended up ordering the same entree which was the Mochi Ramen Carbonara Tsukemen which is served with egg yolk, sesame, togarashi, limone, and parmigiano. Tsukemen ramen is traditionally served with a separate bowl of broth in which the noodles are dipped. Felice however makes his own tradition and he has the staff whisk the yolk into a sauce consisting of the lemon and spice blend called togarashi. The staff does this act table side before pouring the sauce on top of the noodles. The taste could have made you easily confused as once you ate into it, you taste the creamy carbonara but yet it is paired with the chewy ramen noodles everyone loves. It is truly a masterpiece of a dish. Overall, it was a tasty-filled night, the staff was perfect, and the laughs and memories will last me a lifetime. If you have the chance to book a reservation at Pasta Ramen, you will not be disappointed, more like pleasantly surprised. Stay tuned for more on travel and food adventures!
