DazeDish: Momi Ramen

On Sunday evening, we stopped in for an early dinner at Momi Ramen in East Hampton. Momi, owned by Anita Chen, is a boutique ramen house that was founded in Miami. The family friendly restaurant was bustling by 7 PM with diners ready to enjoy some of the many ramen dishes, created with fresh noodles made in-house several times daily. Specialty cocktails awakened the appetite. The cucumber cooler is a crowd favorite, made with Crop Organic Cucumber Vodka, cucumber water, lime juice and agave. The basil gin and tonic made with Hendricks gin, St. Germain liqueur, basil, muddled cucumbers, lime juice, tonic and agave was a refreshing twist on the classic spirit. To start we ordered a few shared plates to sample. The tuna avocado salad made with chopped tuna sashimi, avocado and red onions in a sesame soy dressing, was simple and delicious. The organic grilled salmon prepared with a special soy sauce and mustard marinade, served with arugula, was fresh and cooked perfectly. The kara-age, Japanese fried chicken thigh marinated in soy sauce and ginger was light and delicious, created simple enough for a child's palate, yet with sophisticated flavors for an adult to enjoy as well. The chilled snow crab salad with wakame seaweed and tobiko roe, tossed in truffle oil, offered interesting flavor profiles. The ramen dishes are plentiful at Momi, most created with a rich pork bone broth. We tried the crab and Ikura ramen, homemade ramen with snow crab, salmon roe, crispy nori flakes and scallions served with tsuyu sauce and wasabi. This dish was a definite highlight of the evening. The yasai ramen is a good choice for any vegetarian. It included the homemade ramen with shiitake mushrooms, cabbage, bamboo shoots and sesame served in a vegetarian based broth. For dessert we sampled a chocolate Japanese cheese cake and an ice cream sandwich prepared with japanese pancakes with red bean ice cream. A great end to a wonderful meal. The price points are very reasonable with every dish on the menu $20 or less, making Momi Ramen a great place to bring the whole family or for large groups. Momi Ramen 221 Pantigo Road East Hampton 631-324-1678 www.momihamptons.com