Monday, September 2, 2019

用心棒 (Yojinbo in Hongo, Tokyo)

用心棒 本号



Oh, Jiro-kei, our on-again off-again love affair continues.



Jiro-style, known as Jiro-kei or Jiro-inspire is defined by thick, wheaty noodles in a pure pork soup, topped with bean sprouts, raw garlic, and as much seabura pork back fat as you can handle. It tends to be too heavy for me, so I only eat the stuff a few times a year. Some people, known lovingly as Jirorians, eat the stuff a few times a week.



Enter Jiro-style mazesoba. Soupless ramen with all those tasty toppings. This is something I can eat without the aftereffects of drinking the fattiest soup on Earth. Sure, your breath is destroyed for the next 12 hours, but maybe your stomach is not.

Raw garlic, raw ginger, spicy bits of tempura batter, fatty pork, and both a raw egg and cooked egg. Junk food extraordinaire. All these toppings are free, and you can ask for it mashi if you want extra. Garlic mayonnaise, also free, is optional.



Mix it up and enjoy your life. Please listen to me. Don't get a large size if you don't know what you are in for. Even the smallest serving of noodles here is much more than a normal bowl of ramen.

You've been warned.