When the wind is frosty and the body chilled to the bone, we crave foods that can warm us up in the cold weather. But, what’s the most delicious, heartwarming food that we can enjoy on a budget that is projected to barely survive Black Friday? The answer: Ramen.

A commonplace meal during the wintertime in many Asian countries, in the past few years, there has been an abrupt surge of ramen shops in New York City. Some try to revamp their shops by creating a more genuine, authentic Ramen shop atmosphere. Such atmospheres are characterized by an Asian-style interior that includes, for example, a big fan in the bar counter, or a lantern at the entrance. Others try to recreate, experiment and change the traditional flavor of ramen, just to give a twist to the somewhat monotone flavor of ramen soup. Shinya Shokudo, located at the intersection of 52nd Street and 2nd Avenue, has achieved a significant unique characterization, even amongst its competitors.
Shinya Shokudo literally means “midnight diner” in Japanese; a name that is well suited for a diner that opens its doors between the midnight hours of 12:30am to 4:30am. “Often times, customers call us to inquire about our business hours and ascertain how long we stay open, and they’re quite surprised when I say that we are open until 4:30 am in the morning,” says Ikumi, one of the few servers at Shinya Shokudo.

Shinya Shokudo is run and managed by the kitchen master, Yoshitaka Nakamura, as well as one of the restaurant’s servers; a double head system. They only rely on the employment of a single dishwasher in the kitchen during Thursdays and Fridays, the peak of the week. “I honestly want to hire one more chef in the kitchen, it’s an arduous and laborious task to cook all by myself, especially during peak season, where people are craving for something to warm them up. But sadly, I can’t afford more workers just for now,” says Nakamura. “I need customers to understand that there is only one chef in the kitchen.” Monday to Saturday, Nakamura stands alone in the kitchen every night.

Nakamura, 48, grew up in the northernmost area of Japan – Aomori. His father was a sushi chef, and owned his own restaurant. Nakamura initially followed his father’s footsteps and became a sushi chef in the States. However, as he explains upon recalling his 25 years of experience as a sushi chef, “Sushi is an art, and being a sushi chef is very demanding and challenging; too many rules to follow and so many stubborn people to work with. And later I realized I like the moment of talking with customers better than serving sushi.” After some more htought, he adds “I didn’t need to stick with sushi anyway.”

Towards the back of the store, Shinya Shokudo has a bar, lined with taller table seats. The bar counter is the primary choice of seating among many customers, since they get to see Nakamura’s cooking performance, as well as a chance to talk with him. Despite having stayed in the States for 23 years, Nakamura still struggles with his English, often facing numerous grammatical challenges. However, he seems to give little attention to the complete comprehension of his sentences; and surprisingly, neither do the customers. They just enjoy their midnight conversationunder the influence of some Japanese alcohol. Even chef Nakamura admits, “I hide beer under the kitchen. Drinking is my energy boost.”

The restaurant’s signature dish, the Paitan Ramen, is $12 and is accompanied by three other ramen dishes: Miso, Spicy and Taiwan, each of which cost $14. They also have a few appetizers like fried chicken, kimchi, and potato salad. Of course, there are also various drinks from soda to wine, Japanese sake, and even tequila. Though Shinya Shokudo operates under its title as a ramen shop, a major component of the midnight diner is its services to the alcohol-loving people. With the large number of bars around the neighborhood, it seems to be a simple, yet brilliant strategy to bring in party-goers after their respective main events with a warm, welcoming bowl of ramen. In particular, between the morning hours of 2am to 3am, workers from the neighborhood’s bars gather in the restaurant to be healed with Nakamura’s special dinner after their long, tiresome work shift. To regular customers – or simply depending on his mood – Nakamura may serve a special curry dinner that does not appear on the menu; “His curry is speechless,” a customer enthused.

“I don’t own this place. There is another ramen shop in this store at lunch and dinner time.” Nakamura noted. “And this midnight thing is like a trial. If people like it, good. If not, I’ll do something else.” Before Shinya Shokudo opened, Totto Ramen, New York City’s well-known ramen shop had opened their business at the same site. Thanks to this, neither the rent nor the necessary tools for a ramen shop are a big concern for Nakamura; “I’m lucky,” Nakamura says.

His work style is free, unrestrained, and sometimes, rather impromptu. Nakamura prefers to please customers by his food rather than the procedures that builds up to it. His vibe is what many may call “a hippie feeling”; a 48 years old “hippie”. “I know many people in the city are forced to live outside of Manhattan because of the rent. But it never happened to me! Or rather, I don’t really know about Brooklyn or Queens.” The key to his ability to survive exclusively in this expensive city may somehow lie in his easy-going, adaptive personality.