In my first visit to Blanca back in September 2018, I was a solo diner and had just moved to New York City pretty recently. I wrote down, “Really good. Definitely get the drink pairing. Michelin 2 star. $300 per person including drinks.” The vibe and space was absolutely fantastic. I then met my partner, and the pandemic arrived. Blanca shutdown and just simply never reopened until a few weeks ago.

This is an updated review for the Midtown / Times Square (Theater District) location for Ichiran. I had been to the original Bushwick location years ago, and I didn’t take pictures nor remembered much about it. The only thing I wrote down was it was a much better version of Shinsengumi. Shinsengumi was a popular Torrance (California) restaurant that served hakata style ramen. They also allowed you to select your flavor profiles, and it was far less busy than Ichiran.

Pizza is pretty good and cheap. Their beer list is pretty good.