Review: Food
Only at Ony
by Lorene Fong, Food Critic

Ony - West Village
357 Sixth Avenue (btwn West 4th and Washington Pl.)
(212) 414-8429

We stared wistfully at the heaping plate of sushi rolls being delivered to the table adjacent to ours. Even from where we were sitting, each bite was clearly a masterpiece in itself. Colorful centers encircled by large, fluffy grains of rice, the dragon and spider rolls were artfully arranged on its serving ware. Interestingly, my companions and I were at Ony not for the sushi but for the noodles. Ramen noodles to be more specific.

Ony is located in a prime spot on Sixth Avenue between Washington Place and West Fourth Street. Established by the same people behind the two Japanese eateries Menchanko-Tei and Katsuhama, Ony is their latest addition to this genre of cheap 'n' chic Japanese restaurants in the city. In stark contrast to other Japanese eateries, Ony is actually a noodle bar, and places more emphasis on their home made ramen noodles rather than the sushi. The restaurant is luminous and brightly lit, as the unobstructed glass storefront encourages the entry of daylight. Ony possess an upbeat mood, an attitude that was clearly exhibited by the cordial waitstaff. The decor is simple and modern, all in line with the restaurant's cheerful nature.

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Ony is the restaurant to eat at if you are looking for feel-good food with a comfortable environment and a friendly staff.

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Dinner appetizers included edamame, seafood salad, fried soft shell crab, and calamary salad. Tofu is also prepared in different ways: stir fried with mushrooms, cold with anchovy mayonnaise, and fried with vegetables and crab meat in a soy milk skin. Also offered is tatsuta age, a Japanese-style free range chicken. I tried the seaweed wrapped rice ball which was actually triangular in shape with a filling of okaka (fish flakes). It was tasty, but unimpressive. The fish ball comes with other fillings such as salmon, seaweed, cod roe, and plum pickles.

Menchanko dishes, Ony's homemade noodle soups, take center stage at the restaurant. Noodles are made on a daily basis at the restaurant. The basic Menchanko is composed of ramen noodles in a soy sauce based broth with a salmon ball, chicken, tofu, shrimp, and vegetables. However, don't expect the bowl to be spilling over with the latter items. The dominant ingredients are the ramen noodles. Other variations include tomato, miso, or sesame miso broth, kimchi, oysters, and seafood. Customers also have the option of choosing their own ingredients to be added into their Menchanko.

I ordered the Goma Miso Menchanko with the sesame miso broth. It came in an oversized metal dish with a wooden ladle. Thick, chewy, and free of the crinkles found in the packaged, store bought version, these noodles are clearly from the ramen we are used to eating. The noodles were rich in taste and quality and almost reminiscent of comfort food, as defined by the Western palate. Connoisseurs can easily lose themselves while chowing down on these palatable selections. My only qualms stemmed from the sesame essence of the broth, which almost overpowered the rest of the ingredients, including the noodles. The plain Miso Menchanko was a better choice. It came with the same ingredients, but the broth was less rich and the flavor was a little more subdued.

Aside from the Menchanko options, Ony serves other noodle dishes as well. The Hakata Ramen was a noodle dish in a creamy soup, topped with pork, mushrooms, ginger and scallions. Equally hearty and just as satisfying, the noodles were less doughy and not as chewy as the Menchanko dishes. Also on the menu are stir-fried udon and cold soba noodle choices.

Ony is the restaurant to eat at if you are looking for feel-good food with a comfortable environment and a friendly staff. Next time, we'll try the sushi and I'm sure that we'll find yet another thing that Ony is good at.