I love being surprised by ramen! The fact that it still happens, after a thousand or so shops is a testament to this genre of food.
Koike serves up essentially three styles, along with some limited bowls for good measure.
There's a niboshi-rich clear soup, a shoyu clear soup, and a thick soup. They all play off each other, with similar bases and toppings. I've got to go thick!
From the looks of this bowl, you are in for an intense punch in the palate. A seriously strong bowl.
But looks can be deceiving. The kotteri ramen at Koike is surprisingly smooth.
The egg was another surprise. Although it looks unseasoned, they soak it in a katsuo broth before serving. This imparts a huge amount of umami.
A few years ago, I thought that all upper-end eggs were the same. Not true! This one was noticeably different. Noticeably better.
Kami-Kitazawa is a little out of the way for many people, but for a shop like this it is worth a detour.
東京都世田谷区上北沢4-19-18
Tokyo, Setagaya-ku, Kamikitazawa 4-19-18
Closest station: Kami-kitazawa
Open 11:30-15:00, 18:00-21:00
Closed Wednesday and Friday
1 comment:
Went here today and damn, what a find. And honestly, not that far of a trek. I chose the niboshi and it delivered in spades. In fact, just walking into the shop hits you with a rich blast of that signature niboshi scent (having spent much time perfecting my own toripaitan with this essential taste) . Everything about that bowl was on point and the egg was nothing less than spectacular - I'm now seriously considering scrapping my soy/mirin soak for a straight up katsuo stock one. Super super tasty. Koike is well worth venturing out to.
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