麺屋 裕
Crushed it!
I didn't take many photos at this one, focusing my attention on a YouTube video. Check it out!
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Hiro recently moved from a much busier location just west of the Kyoto Palace. Why the move? The master felt that, among other things, the shop was simply too busy, and a quieter part of Kyoto would better match his bowl.
It isn't often that a shop truly blows me away. Sure, I have excellent ramen all the time, just not at this level.
The vegetable above is 姫竹, literally princess bamboo. Tender baby shoots, lightly grilled and seasoned. Most menma, or pickled bamboo, is re-hydrated stuff from China. This was on another level.
This massive metal container? A $10,000 water holder. Something about keeping ions out, or maybe keeping ions in. The master drives up to nearby Fushimi to stock up on spring water about once a week. The Fushima water in Japan is prized, often used in some of the country's most celebrated sake. He uses it for the soup, tare, and noodles. So, basically, everything.
The most popular menu item is the 蟹塩そば, kanishosoba. Japanese blue crab meets local chicken for the base of this one. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this one is something special. It has a crab impact, with a subtle, meaty umami aftertaste.
Watch the video to see how he makes his noodles. Spoiler, he uses an old hand crank pasta roller to cut them before boiling.
Incredible.
