Last year I wrote about (and made a YouTube video for) a shop up near Akabane Station on the north side of Tokyo. The shop was called noodle kitchen ミライゑ, and Miraie closed soon after my video trended. Their soupless noodles topped with stewed beef tendon looked as good as it tasted, but it was now gone.
The details about the sudden closure are unimportant, as they have now reopened in a much better part of town. Harajuku is about as central as it gets.
The menu is almost identical. The stewed beef mazesoba is still here, as is their kuroshio niboshi, an MSG-free bowl of Tokyo-style soy sauce ramen.
There is an interesting angle here, focusing on using ingredients that are considered ethical. This can be a bit misleading, as the definition of ethical food is undefined, and the connotations are all over the place. I'm sure a vegetarian wouldn't put beef in the ethical category, and salt production around the globe uses a lot of illegal work practices. When I asked them about it, the shop master said that most items are sourced from within Japan, or from companies that operate with ethics in mind.
As I've tried the mazesoba many times (this shop is a regular at ramen festivals and events), it was time for the shoyu.
Very clean. Both the soy sauce and the niboshi (dried sardines) are sourced from nearby Chiba prefecture, home to some of Japan's highest quality products.
Go for it with or without the seabura pork back fat, it's up to you. Both are great. And you can choose soy sauce or salt. As always, I prefer a good bowl of shoyu ramen at most shops.
Tell the staff I sent you, they are a really chill group.
Official site here.
東京都渋谷区神宮前1-21-15 ナポレ原宿B1F
Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Jungumae 1-21-15
Closest station: Harajuku
Open 11:00-15:00, 17:00-21:00
Weekends 11:00-21:00
Closed Tuesdays
