Some locals swear by this ramen shop (multiple locations, including the top of Omotesando right outside the Meiji-Jingumae and Harajuku stations, 3404-5572), and the line usually found outside the place is a testament to its popularity. Fortunately, we were able to skip past the lines tonight by heading up to the second floor, where we got a little table in the corner of the room with tons of condiments and seasonings waiting in front of us. From there, it was a no-brainer and we ordered away: bring a bowl of the signature Kyushu Jangara with all the fixings for 980 Yen (US$8.20).
Mmm...the broth was very rich, the chasyu crumbled yet tasted like butter, and - the best part of the meal - the noodles were top-notch, cooked to just the right degree and full of flavor. The mentaiko gave a nice spicy, if fishy, kick. Sure, the broth was excessively high in oil and sodium, but in a good way (I can't even believe that one place in Singapore tried to pass off its weak bowls as this stuff). But I do have to say that there's one thing about these guys' bowls that I'm not a huge fan of: the huge cubes of pork with layers of fat in it are not only unwieldingly big, but are also a bit sweet. Maybe next time I'll ask them to exclude them.
It looked like they also had cold dipping noodles for the summertime on the menu too, so we ended up ordering the basic 800 Yen (US$6.70) retto version. That turned out to be surprisingly spicy and pretty darned good as well (especially with the huge layer of oil sitting in the broth). We didn't even need to touch that huge array of condiments in front of us. Nice one.
1 comment:
Hey there! Whoa... we started our food blogs about the same time last year. Crazy! ;) Although, I try to write about other things too... like what to do, where to go, what I love about LA. Hope life is treating you well, way up in the skies... And Keep in touch! By the way, if you love tonkatsu, there's a really great place just outside the Ebisu station and around the corner. It just has a wooden sign in Japanese that says tonkatsu, if memory serves me well. =) I still crave the stuff... and Happy 4th of July! (I figured I would wish you one since no one else in the world celebrates our Independence.)
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