My primary association with ramen noodles is in the form of blocks of dehydrated noodles cooked in a hot pot in my college dorm room, a far cry from the original Japanese ramen, a dish of handmade noodles in broth. In Japan, ramen is a national passion with regional broth variations, so-called ramen otaku (“ramen geeks”) and even a ramen theme-park museum. In New York’s East Village, many establishments cater to the ramen-obsessed, and now a ramen noodle war is brewing between the David (David Chang, the chef-owner of Momofuku Noodle Bar, Momofuku Ssäm Bar and Momofuku Ko) and the Giant (the popular Setagaya Japanese ramen chain).

Ramen Setagaya

Ramen Setagaya

Ramen: Entering Setagaya, you will feel that you’ve gone to Japan—most of the signage is in Japanese and the menu lists about five types of ramen that are all pretty much indistinguishable by description. Luckily, our waitress is helpful and recommends the least expensive option, shio ramen ($9.50). A bowl of so-called “salt ramen” arrives, topped with two thin slices of grilled fatty pork, half a soft-cooked egg, black hijiki seaweed, house-preserved bamboo shoots, and a tangle of thinly slivered scallion. First, the broth: more savory, in the umami—the fifth taste—sense, than salty as the name would imply. Flavors of dried fish, clams, meat, kelp, and shiitake mushroom are melded together in a complex, briny, concentrated broth, which is seasoned with Vietnamese sun-dried sea salt and is boiled for six hours each morning. Noodles have a slight firmness akin to al dente, and taste richly of wheat and salt. Each topping complements the noodle soup, particularly the rich and smoky grilled pork and the fresh scallion with a delicate texture and astringent bite. On a return visit, I would be curious to try the tsuke-men, in which thicker ramen noodles are served separately, to be dipped in broth before each bite. Besides ramen, Setagaya’s only other substantive offering is the fantastic gyoza dumplings (6 for $4.50), grilled to a crisp on one of the three sides, to be dipped in a vinegary sauce.

Setting: No-frills fishbowl. Setagaya is more of a bar than a restaurant, with mostly Japanese patrons perched elbow to elbow on stools. The turnover is rapid. One glass wall faces First Avenue and another separates happily slurping patrons from a line of hungry customers waiting for a seat at the bar.

Momofuku Noodle Bar

Momofuku Noodle Bar

Ramen and more: Momofuku means lucky peach in Japanese, and was also the name of the man who invented the dehydrated noodle block of my college years for the Japanese company Nissin. Momofuku Noodle Bar is owned by Korean American chef David Chang whose cuisine fuses traditional Asian dishes with locally-sourced artisanal ingredients. Chang doesn’t claim his ramen is authentic, just better than everyone else’s. He also loves pork, and he uses prized Berkshire pork, known in Japan as kurobuta or “black hog.” Anyone wary of eating a slab of pork fat should not venture past the threshold of Momofuku.

Here, we are recommended the most expensive ramen on the menu, “Momofuku ramen,” at $15. It comes in a gigantic bowl with a hunk of fatty pork belly, shredded pork meat, a poached egg, sheets of dried seaweed, a couple of slices of hot pink and white rolled fishcake with chopped scallions. The broth is unsurprisingly and unmistakably porky and is pleasant and mild, without the depth of flavor of the Setagaya broth. The noodles, which are handmade, do not taste of much more than flour. They seem an afterthought in the bowl, a neutral backdrop for the pork which is certainly the focus of this dish. The shredded pork shoulder is tender and savory, while the pork belly is delicious but a bit stringy in the meat portion running between layers of fat. The pork belly meat has a texture that is much more successful in the pork buns: thick slices of succulent, rich fat and meat folded into a steamed white bun (like Chinese Dong Po pork) with a couple of crisp pickled cucumber slices ($9). The pickle plate ($11) features a colorful array of those house-brined pickles, made from market vegetables and fruits, and refreshingly crisp and acidic—a necessary counterpart to all this fatty pork. Aside from these offerings, Momofuku has a wide and tempting range of dishes which would be perfect for sharing among a group of friends.

Setting: East village hipster pork temple. Again, bar is an apt descriptor—noisy, raucous, and cramped. Eaters are crammed together, elbow to elbow and back to back at communal low light wood tables, or at a long bar. Getting in and out of one’s seat can be practically athletic. Space at the door is inadequate, and waiting for a table can feel like being on the subway.

The verdict: Setagaya wins the ramen challenge hands-down, though the sea-flavor of the broth may not be to everyone’s liking. For those who are more interested in meat than noodles, or for a social occasion, Momofuku is a better choice. The ramen wars will heat up again in April when a branch of the much-hyped Japanese Hakata Ippudo, featured in a Japanese ramen museum and ramen Hall of Fame, opens in the East Village.