ののくら (Nonokura in Kameari, Tokyo)

ののくら 手打式超多加水麺

Nonokura won the coveted silver rookie award in the 2019 TRY Magazine. Tokyo Ramen of the Year is considered one of the top curated ramen magazines in Japan. Their choices are solid, and the fact that half the magazine is devoted to rookie shops is a blessing for ramen hunters like me.

Out to Kameari. This is home of Kochira Katsushikaku Kameari Koenmae Hashutsujo (こちら葛飾区亀有公園前派出所), a famous manga about a policeman working at the nearby police box. This is also the home of Michi, one of Japan's highest ranked tsukemen shops.

Chukasoba. I love the simple menu. Give me the standard with an egg.

Looks like Michelin took notice of this new shop. Reading their writeup, it is nice to see that even the pros have a tough time coming up with interesting descriptions of ramen. Everything is rather standard. The interesting point is the homemade noodles with a high kasui (加水) level, meaning a more slippery slurp. Other than that, it's a chicken soup with dashi.

The noren curtain actually says it has super high kasui in the noodles.

You'll probably wait a short time, but that is standard at shops with such high regard.

Boom!

This one is very, very good. Yes, the noodles are a highlight. Slippery as all hell.

This style of ramen is popular these days, and the one the Michelin Guide prefers. Refined soy sauce, a few kinds of sous vide pork and chicken, high-quality menma, and a perfect egg. To quote the red book, worth a journey.

Nonokura uses a bit more meaty bones in the soup, as well as a blend of four kinds of dried fish. More meat means a richer taste.

Bonus fact. The shop is a combination of the master's daughter's name, Nonoka, and his name, Kurato. How cool is that!

長田本庄軒 (Nagata Yakisoba in Tachikawa Station)

長田本庄軒



Is yakisoba ramen? Definitely not, though they both use the same kind of noodles. To make yakisoba, cook Chinese-style ramen noodles, then cool them down and put them in the fridge for later. When you are ready to go, fry the noodles with yakisoba sauce. Done!



Maybe my cooking lesson isn't so correct. Actually, people rarely make this dish at home. Yakisoba is often found at streetside yatai stalls during festivals. It helps to have a massive teppan to cook the stuff on. This kind of food is especially prevalent in the Kansai region. In this case, there is a well-known shop inside Tachikawa station. Perfect for the hungry dude on the go.



This particular shop hails from Kobe. Bokkake (ぼっかけ) is their original beef tendon stew, a perfect topping for a plate of fried noodles. This kind of cuisine is carby, fatty, and salty.



Perfect for a beer. I don't often drink Japanese draft beer these days, but this calls for an exception.

The egg topping was key. Keep in mind that yakisoba in shops is often very voluminous. A normal serving is 200g or more. Diet be damned!

Ok, so it isn't ramen, but this one was rad. It's also within the station, so you could hop off your train, crush a bowl (plate), and hop back on without exiting the ticket gates. Done deal.



Official site here.

えびそば えび助 (Ebisuke at Tachikawa Ramen Square)

えびそば えび助 TOKYO

I had a meeting in Tachikawa. I don't often return to the major hub of West Tokyo life, but when I do I usually check out the ramen square.

Tachikawa is a short ride on the Chuo Line from Shinjuku. Less than 30 minutes on a rapid train.

Walk up to the third floor of the nearby department store. I'm no stranger to this spot. Ten or so years ago, when Ramen Adventures was a new thing, I had a job at a horrible conversation school in the department store above Tachikawa Station. I say horrible because while students are charged about 7000 yen for a 40-minute lesson, the actual teachers only get 1500 yen. Exploiting foreigners in the teaching world is nothing new, though, so I can't really complain. And even though that salary was barely enough to make rent, it was enough for ramen.

Six shops await you at what is for some reason called the New York Ramen Square. The shops change every so often, featuring outlets of famous shops around the country. I'm not sure how this place survives; New York it is not. It feels like a ghost town every time I come. Maybe a post-apocalypse New York?

As the name suggests, Ebisuke deals in えぶ - shrimp. Homemade shrimp condiments are the first thing you'll see when you sit down. Well, that and the giant shrimp posters on the wall.

This poster reminds me of a Ford Mustang poster I had on my wall as a teenager. Details of the entire lineup. I kind of wish I had a shrimp poster to go along with it. Next to my Cindy Crawford and Bo Jackson posters of course.

Solid shrimp shoyu ramen. The soup is an 8-hour chicken broth, enhanced with 甘えび, a kind of Japanese sweet shrimp. I couldn't find a reference to this kind of shrimp on the poster, though amaebi could just be a catchall for many different shrimp.

Fried shrimp powder spice. It says it's meant for udon.

If the ramen square was packed with customers and had a bit more of a fun vibe, I would be back to try the other shops I have yet to slurp. But this place is eerily silent. A strange vibe, good ramen.

Ramen Square site here.