Ramen Adventures

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

悪代官 (Akudaikan in Koiwa)

江戸川ヌードル悪代官

Some ramen adventures are about finding an excellent bowl of noodles. Some, on the other hand, are just about finding the most shocking, craziest thing you can think of. I came across this picture in a recently published magazine.

北アルプス盛 - Japan's Northern Alps Size. That's a bowl of ramen, topped with a deep fried pork fillet, deep fried chicken pieces, an entire Bunashimeji mushroom, curry sauce, tartar sauce, extra garlic, and maybe an egg or two. I'm here for the scoop, at the expense of my health.

Scanning the menu, I didn't see it. Alas, they have stopped serving what could be the most unhealthy ramen in Tokyo.

Though the secret menu at the bottom is a nice touch. I got the 20 yen salad, which was just some shredded cabbage. Maybe the 20 yen rice topped with a 20 yen spicy egg would have been better.

As for the ramen, I went with the special ぬーどる, noodle. Not the Northern Alps...

but maybe the Southern Alps. This bowl still had the fried chicken, multiple pieces of chashu, tartar sauce, egg, and some thick thick pork soup. And a piece of nori bigger than my face.

Well, it was what it was. I've never liked tartar sauce in any cuisine, and when it mixed into the soup the resulting mayo X tonkotsu was a bit much for me. If you are a fan of Ramen Jiro, you might like this one more than I did.

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可以 (Kai in Jimbocho)

可以

Billed as a miso ramen with "impact", Kai was on my list. In fact, that's the most important aspect of miso for me. You want a bit of a shock when you first sip that soup. As the overused phrase goes; No Impact, No Life. Or something like that.

After a midday lesson, I raced my student here. Him on the train, and me on the bicycle. Arriving a few minutes early, I circled the block to find about 4 or 5 ramen shops with lines out the door. Good sign... for the neighborhood. Kai had no line. Bad sign... for the shop. But the fact that it's a bit of an adventure to find this shop (the door is a bit nondescript) might affect it's popularity. Let's hope that's the case.

At the first taste, this shop should have a line. The shops original 3 miso blend is very dark and, when mixed with the fishy stock, makes for that desired impact. The pile of onion gives a sweetness to the whole thing. All in all, not the most amazing miso, but for someone who has to try them all, you won't regret it.

On the way home I noticed this! How sad, that shop was cool!

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Tuesday, January 11, 2011

バリ男 (Bario in Jimbocho)

バリ男

!!! This shop is now closed !!!

Wandering the streets of Jimbocho, looking for a good deal on some ski clothing, I passed Bario.

I was in no mood for Jiro-kei, especially not from a place that boasts the kanji for man - 男 - in the name. Its not that I don't like it, but I was meeting out of town friends in a few hours, and the after effects of "にんにくを入れる?" are usually painful for those at the other end. Yes, you can always tell if someone has had some from a Jiro style ramen shop by the garlic on their breath.

But what's this? I pulled a staff member aside and asked if they were really giving away free ramen today.

The fresh flowers to congratulate a fresh shop gave me my answer. Bario was serving anyone who walked by a free bowl of ramen on their opening day.

No ordering. Everyone gets the same bowl.

The same great noodles and the same great soup. And the same fabulous pork. Very lean, which can be rare. Usually "manly" ramen shops give you a chunk of pig fat, call it chashu, and expect you to be thankful. Bario lets you get away with whatever level of manliness you subscribe to.

Though 3 scoops of garlic are what バリ男 eat. Bari Otoko? Burly Men? Very Man? Berrie Boys?

With this style, you are forgiven for not draining the bowl. The amount of suspended fat bits and the layer of hot oil on the top could do some havoc. So stop just below the 男, and leave, without touching your wallet.