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First Avenue in the East Village, aka "ramen row," has benefited from the addition of Ramen Setagaya, a Tokyo-based ramen chain, which aims to distinguish its noodle joint with a whiff of authenticity (and pork). The tiny space with bar-style seating is marked only by a few kanji signs, an open kitchen with chefs ladling out steaming bowls of ramen, and a large flat-panel TV playing Japanese cooking shows. Unfortunately, that TV is the only food diners will see for a long time after their arrival. Ramen Setagaya's kitchen is not the fastest on the block. Presumably, the extra time is required to finish the highly touted broth, chock full of flavors from ingredients including dried scallop flakes, ginger, garlic, mushrooms and a healthy dose of Khanh Hoa salt imported from Vietnam. It tastes more like a homemade soup than broth served elsewhere, but unfortunately the soup's contents can't live up to the promise of the broth's quality; they don't pack the same punch of flavor. The grilled pork (in the barbecued pork ramen bowl) is crisp, but lacks a certain meaty heft, and the ramen noodles are al dente to the point of being underdone.
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