The Year of the Rabbit for 2023 Lunar New Year

On the Chinese Zodiac calendar, the Year of the Rabbit begins January 22, 2023 and ends on February 9, 2024. You are a Rabbit if you were born in 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2023 and the Rabbit is considered a very lucky zodiac symbol.

A new moon (slender crescent) usually kicks off the Chinese New Year which falls between the end of January and the end of February and the celebration culminates with the arrival of the full moon. We refer to these traditional cultural celebrations as “Chinese New Year.”

What is the Lunar New Year? On every lunar calendar, the Lunar New Year falls on a different date but generally it occurs mid-January and late February. For 2023, the Lunar New Year begins on Sunday, January 22nd.

For clarification, Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year are NOT the same. To make it easier, Chinese New Year is based on the Chinese Lunar Calendar and specific to Chinese culture traditions and also marks the start of a new Lunar Year.

The Lunar New Year is based on the lunar calendar (which is a complete cycle of the phases of the Moon) and is widely celebrated in Southeast Asian cultures such as those of Vietnam, Korea and Japan. In Vietnam, they are celebrating the Lunar New Year as the Year of the Cat.

However you choose to celebrate the Lunar New Year, food, friends and family are a big part of the celebration tasting the delicious cuisine across Southeast Asian cultures. They’ve borrowed elements from each other’s cuisine adding regional elements to classic dishes and ceremonial delicacies.

My friends and I searched for the perfect way to celebrate the Lunar New Year/Chinese New Year and found a small upscale restaurant just across from Naples Cambier Park called Ichi Togarashi.

From the name, it sounded more Japanese but the cuisine is a blend or a fusion of many Asian cuisines - Japanese, Thai, Korean, Vietnamese and Chinese.  It was a feast of the “aromas of Asia” and the flavors and presentation did not disappoint.

The food profile is closer to Thai with their use of curries, basil and lemongrass. I ordered ramen without broth and it was the best ramen street food I’ve had in a long time. My friend Marianne had a craving for Pho which is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup dish. For appetizers, we ordered their house made Dim-Sum Welcome selection and being a chilly afternoon, everybody ordered from their house soup menu. 

Their house soup included Thai Spicy Beef, Thai Shrimp Jasmine Rice Soup, and a Pork Potsticker. My friend Cristina stayed traditional with a bowl of Wonton Soup while we all tried their Shrimp Shumai Soup.

They also had a sharable soup entrée in the Thai tradition offering hot and sour Tom Yum and house Chicken Lemongrass and Glass Noodles. For the main entrée, I had the Togarashi Signature Ramen without broth. For my next visit, I’d like to try their Tonkotsu Pork Belly Ramen with a rich and creamy pork bone broth cooked for 12 hours.

If you love ramen as much as I do, this is the place and from briefly reviewing the menu, they feature over 20 delicious ramen options. Ramen is a Japanese noodle dish best served in a chicken or beef broth; you can use other broth bases and serve with toppings of your choice but the broth is what makes Ramen a culinary delight.

Like most Asian cuisine, there is a story behind the taste and the aroma of each dish! On my next visit, I’d like to linger more, take in the experience and perhaps talk to the kitchen staff.