Thursday, December 18, 2008

ぶぶか (Bubuka in Kichijoji)

ぶぶか - 吉祥寺



I'd been here before, and I remember it was really good, and really bad at the same time. How can that be?



Looks pretty damn tasty. Well, this is abura ramen. Abura is the floating bits of fat that form when making the soup. Many tonkotsu shops will strain out the fat, since... well... it's just globs of oily pork fat. But other shops actually specialize in this stuff. It's silk smooth and tasty, but you will feel like crap after eating too much.

To add instult to injury, almost everyone who came in this shop got their ramen with メーヨ topping. That's mayonaise people! Why stop with half a liter of artery clogging fat chunks when you can add mayo.

I had the bubuka special, which comes with 3 thick slices of their pork, which they grill on a little burner before serving. The pork is up there with the best of the best, it's so good. My advice here is to eat the pork, noodles, and other toppings, then maybe nurse the broth a little, but don't try and finish it. It's hard to do, but your body will thank you.

Bubuka is hella crowded at night with drunk salarymen. Kichijoji is a bit of a transport hub into the west of Tokyo, so a lot of people come through here on their way home.

Keep you eye out for the instant version in a supermarket near you. Compete with mayo.


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