Hinomaru in Astoria, Queens

Awhile back, my husband and his family went to Hinomaru to celebrate a birthday and it was his parents first time there. We arrived pretty early for dinner (around 6pm) and the restaurant didn't have many people there yet. We sat by the wide open storefront where we were able to watch people walk by as we ate.  This time, we ordered more than ramen and some of their "Japanese tapas" were pretty good.

This restaurant is also recommended by the Michelin guide. If that means something to you, it's worth a try!

Starters: 

Ebi Chili - Possibly my favorite appetizer that night. The sauce on the shrimp was not spicy for me, but it will have a nice kick for anyone likes spicy food. 

Crispy pig ears - Oh man, these were pretty good too. The spices worked so well with the slices of pig ears and it was pretty darn crispy!

Tori Karaage - Whenever I go to a new ramen place, I need to try their fried chicken and compare it with others. The chicken was very juicy but the breading wasn't that flavorful. 

Ramen:

Hinomaru: Their house ramen has a pork broth and something called a "fireball" on top of everything. The reason why it has that name? It's because its hot chili oil! If you can't handle the spicy, you might want to put that to the side and add to liking.

Tonkatsu Shoyu: I ordered this with some extra bamboo shoots. The pork broth is very creamy but not too salty like the other broths.