Saturday, October 10, 2009

まずいラーメン (Mazui Ramen...)

... no noodles here, just...

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... candy drops.

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烈士洵名 (Resshijunmei in Bunkyo)

烈士洵名

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What a name! It looks like it means something like "The Hero's True Appellation".

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I was watching Chikyugo Shokudo, a popular food show in Japan. Unlike most food shows in Japan, which only feature some wacky TV celebrity eating food and expressing how much he likes it, this show actually dives deep into the featured shop's specialty. Every aspect of this bowl was presented, documentary style, for a full half an hour. And then the map showed that it's only a 20 minute walk from my front door. I knew what had to be done.

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Hailing from Nagano, the key at Resshijunmei is a balance of ingredients. Their soup is a triple soup. Starting with a pork and chicken broth for the base, adding a konbu broth to lighten it up, and finishing it off with a mix of various fish.

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One of my books dubs this place as Nagano style. Maybe it's because of the use of white soy sauce from the Nagano area.

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They were out of the special 地球号食堂 ramen. If a show is featured on TV, and you want to eat what the semi-famous TV talent just ate, it's best to arrive well before the shop opens.

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A good bowl, very simple and aromatic. The noodles are great, firm and straight.

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The tsukemen was so-so, stick with the ramen.

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I'm constantly surprised by the quality of ramen in the Bunkyo district of Tokyo. I never had any idea.

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Shop info here

吉村家ラーメン (Yoshimura in Yokohama)

吉村家ラーメン

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Here it is people. The #1 iekei (lit. house style) ramen shop around. The location is awesome. From Yokohama station you walk down crowded streets, past bars and shops, arcades and pachinko parlors. Look for the huge line that is a constant at Yoshimura.

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Seating for about 20 people in line. Go ahead and order from the vending machine before you sit down. What color ramen do you want today?

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Blue and yellow is a popular choice.

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Orange and green?

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Purple is the standard Omori size. I think I added a blue after some careful thought.

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Inside, 14 counter seats and 4 big tables means the line moves quick. Get ready!

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This is THE BEST iekei I've ever sat down to. The pork tastes like steak. The soup is like drinking pure pork juice. The noodles have a great bite.

There's a good reason this is the number one shop around. It's the first. The original. Numero Uno. They started the whole iekei thing. So how is it that there are so many offshoots? Well, the recipe for their soup was no guarded secret, and that lead to a wildfire of Yokohama style shops popping up. In fact, the character , which is used as ya at this shop (as opposed to the more traditional ) became a sort of tag to show your shop's respect for the master*.

*And yes, the owner, Mr. Yoshimura himself, was arrested on charges regarding illegal pornography. I once found the owner of a local bar I often went to was on a sex offender website, and I never went back. So there you go, make whatever decision you want.


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There's plenty of fresh garlic and ginger on the counter to add to your bowl. It doesn't need much, but you can't go wrong with garlic.

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This is what I want to eat every time I've had a few too many to drink. Or, for that matter, every time I'm sober.



Shop info here