ソライロ (Sorairo in Kochi Prefecture)

ソライロ



Kochi City in Kochi Prefecture isn't known for the ramen. If you are a real noodle nerd, you'll know that Suzaki City, also in Kochi Prefecture, has a famous style called nabeyaki, but Kochi proper is known for other things.



Namely, tataki. If you ever find yourself here, check out the ひろめ市場, a collection of local restaurants, each serving up all kinds of dishes. You find a communal table, and order from wherever you see fit. Tataki, in particular, is always amazing. Raw fish is seasoned and hot smoked, searing the outsides and keeping the inside fresh. Local katsuo, skipjack tuna, is the norm.

I ate enough for three people. Figured I'd walk around before hitting my hotel room.



Then I ran into some random merry goers.



Then I ran into a ramen shop. Soranoiro? ソラノイロ is one of Tokyo's best shops. But wait!

ソラノイロ
ソライロ

The choice to use katakana characters to write both of is suspect. Did this Kochi shop steal Japan's best vegan ramen? I sent a message to Miyazaki-san, the owner of the Tokyo shop, to resolve this. He knows about the existence of this shop, but has no idea why they chose a font and name so similar to his. Did they steal his recipe?



No, not at all.



Turns out to be a standard tonkotsu gyokai tsukemen. Right in the middle of the drinky part of town, and open until 5:00am. That should be enough to tell you, this place is a nightcap of fat and cards before heading home. A porky cocktail to soak up the booze.

Standard place, and the only thing non-meat about it was the lemon wedge to squeeze onto the noodles.

高知県高知市追手筋1-5-1
Kochi-ken, Kochi-shi, Otesuji 1-5-1
Closest station: Horizume

Open 7:00pm-4:00am

三八製麺所はじめ (Sanpaseimenjo Hajime in Tokushima)

三八製麺所はじめ 徳島駅前店



The Ramendb is an amazing site. It's the Yelp of ramen, and a high rating is usually a good indicator that a ramen shop will be good. Anything in the 90s is generally amazing. The 80s ain't bad either.



But when you leave the big cities, the ratings go down. Not that the ramen isn't up to Tokyo's level, but the lack of user ratings negatively affects the scores. I'm guessing here, but generally you can safely add 10-20 points as an inaka tax; a countryside handicap if you will.



Well, I had work in Tokushima, home of Tokushima-style ramen, but I was about to leave. The closest shop within sight of the station has a rating of 66.98. It's not a bad score, and I hurried over. Thirty minutes until the bus to Kochi!



What's this?



Tonkotsu gyokai tsukemen?



This style, heavy pork broth laced with various dried fish, is definitely not Tokushima ramen. Tokushima style has the thick pork broth, but foregoes the fish for fried pork and a raw egg. Tsukemen like this fares from the Kanto region. Invented in Saitama, popularized in Tokyo.

Well, Hajime brought a bit of the big city. The noodles are massive, and the soup intense. Sure, these tonkotsu gyokai shops are a dime a dozen in Tokyo, but it's good that the rest of the country can have a taste as well.



Official site here.

徳島県徳島市元町1-24
Tokushima-ken, Tokushima-shi, Motomachi 1-24
Closest station: Tokushima

Open 11:00-21:00
Closed Tuesdays

吉法師 (Kipposhi in Oshiage)

拉麺 吉法師



Yes, that soup is blue.



The ramen scene around Tokyo Sky Tree is a bit lacking, so when I heard about Kipposhi, a short walk from the famed tourist attraction, I had to check it out.



But first!



Kipposhi's signature ramen is a tori paitan. Creamy chicken soup topped with some colorful peppers. I have if on good accord that the paitan is a winner.



Well, I couldn't resist the urge to try their newest bowl. Blue tori chintan. Chintan is clear soup, and this is based on their original chicken soup recipe.



Hit with food coloring for a unique color.



Not bad, but I'm not falling for the gimmick. Go with the thicker chicken soup if you try this shop. Although the blue added no flavor, it messed with my mind and I didn't really get into this one. If they used some natural blue product, some kind of algae or something, I might have thought differently. Blue chemical food dye isn't something I want to put in my body.

Actually, the master didn't tell me the details, but according to this article the food coloring is derived from natural spirulina algae.

http://metro.co.uk/2017/01/21/now-unicorn-ramen-is-a-thing-6395879/



Although it isn't bright pink, it matched the master's crazy hair.

Instagram worthy.

I'll be back to try the rest of the menu.

東京都墨田区吾妻橋3-1-17
Tokyo, Sumida-ku, Azumabashi 3-1-17
Closest station: Honjo-Azumabashi

Open 11:30-15:00, 17:00-22:00
Closed Wednesdays