Eating Out: Menya Sandaime | Fort Lee, NJ

Hubby and I have been doing our ramen research in Connecticut and New York for quite sometime now. Lately, we extended our research to New Jersey – Menya Sandaime in Fort Lee, NJ.

My husband and I went with my sister to Menya. We actually arrived there 15 minutes before they were open. I called them and they told us to come in. After we got seated, our server approached us immediately and asked for our orders. That won them major brownie points from me.

Google Menya Sandaime and you’ll see this description: “Japanese joint providing ramen and gyoza in a cozy, wood-lined interior with traditional accents.” And they’re right. It is. Upon entering the restaurant, you’ll find this on their wall.

We were the first customers of the day, which worked out pretty well. I managed to take pictures without bothering other people.

Menya offered a very limited menu, which works to their advantage. What they offer, they offer it pretty well.

What I did order was my usual Tonkotsu Ramen, which my sister also ordered. They used fresh homemade noodles served in their Tokyo-style pork broth soup. It was topped with pork chashu, scallions, marinated egg, bean sprouts and spinach.

Hubby ordered Karakuchi Ramen. It’s the spicy version of their tonkotsu ramen, which hubby loved!

We also ordered their Gyoza, six pieces of handmade pan-fried Japanese pork dumplings. Have you ever seen gyoza served this way? Me too. Funny fact: The chef would yell out “gyoza!” from the kitchen when it was ready to be served.

The Gyoza was freshly made with lovely crispy bottoms and filled with juicy meat. Check out this picture I took when we were close to devouring all six dumplings.

Verdict: Menya Sandaime is an excellent ramen joint. The handmade noodles and broth were so rich and flavorful together, but it was made even better by the toppings. Did we like the food? By the time we left, we were discussing what to order during our next visit – Ankake Yaki Ramen and Mini Butadon. That’s saying something.

We were so happy that we extended our ramen research to New Jersey. Just cross George Washington Bridge and you’re there. What’s more, allowing us to come in and sit inside 15 minutes before they opened? Really nice of them. Not many restaurants do that. It’s a small thing that they didn’t need to do, but they did it anyway.

Address:
Menya Sandaime
1638 Parker Ave, Fort Lee, NJ 07024