Restaurant review: Tanpopo Ramen and Sake Bar

Ramen noodle bars are part of the fabric of Japanese life, catering to hungry commuters who wait in line for the convenience of soft-chewy hand-pulled noodles and steaming, soul-stirring, bone-based broth.

Endless regional variations make this the ultimate in slow-cooked fast food.

Since the mid-'90s, they've popped up from London to New York City, crowds packed into tiny spots slurping noodles for all they are worth.

Alkaline salts react in the noodle dough, giving ramen its distinctive flavor, yellowness and — critically — a firmness that holds up in soups instead of disintegrating into mush.

The trend for Chinese-style ramen noodles in Japanese soup traveled back to China and became known as Japanese-style ramen.

[...] the original geometric floors, signage and retro menu boards — plastic grooved racks holding boxy white lettering — are sure to trigger bouts of nostalgia.

Zheng and his wife, Jenny, may not be hand-pulling foot-long ramen in the kitchen, but their tonkotsu broth of pork bones, kombu (kelp), scallions and celery is simmered for a traditional 12 hours.

Zheng's tonkatsu broth is less creamy and complex but still flavorful and does triple duty in tonkatsu ramen ($11), spicy Tanpopo ramen ($12) — identical but spicier — and, strangely, miso ramen that typically has a chicken or fish base.

For those who care, a simple six-hour chicken broth is behind the roast duck and beef stew ramen bowls, and vegetarians can happily count on a meat-free broth, though it's not homemade so ingredients, and possible MSG, are unknown.