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New Bushwick Restaurant Isolates Diners In Solo 'Flavor Concentration Booths'
By
Gaby Del Valle
Published Oct 17, 2016
Modified Oct 17, 2016
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Rebecca Fondren / Ichiran
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By
Gaby Del Valle
Published Oct 17, 2016
Modified Oct 17, 2016
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Ichiran has been trying to open a New York City location for nearly a decade and now it's finally poised to bring its intriguing concept dining to Bushwick on Wednesday. The restaurant, which has 61 worldwide locations, prides itself on serving just one type of soup: pork-bone-broth tonkotsu, which you have the option to order and eat without saying a word.
Ichiran pioneered the concept of "low-interaction dining," a philosophy they say encourages guests to eliminate interaction with others—hosts, servers, fellow diners—to instead focus solely on the food. If you want to eat a meal completely solo, Ichiran is the place to do it. Instead of being seated by a host, you choose where to sit by looking at a wall-mounted self-seating chart that indicates which of the restaurant's booths are empty—and each booth sits just one person.
When you get to the restaurant's "flavor concentration booth," you're presented with a paper that lets you customize your ramen order. Although the restaurant only serves one type of soup, Ichiran's ramen is as customizable as it gets: you can adjust the strength of the dashi, the richness of the broth, the amount of garlic in the soup, whether or not it's served with pork, the level of spiciness, the texture of the noodles, and add any extra toppings. All of this is done without speaking to a single person.
For those who prefer meals with a little more human interaction, the restaurant also has a dining room where guests can sit together, interact with waitstaff, and order sake- and shochu-based drinks. But honestly, that doesn't sound as fun. Ditch your friends and go eat ramen alone in a flavor concentration booth instead!
Ichiran's first U.S. location is located at 386 Johnson Avenue in Bushwick and opens on Wednesday, October 19th. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and does not take reservations.
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Gaby Del Valle
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