Blogspot - Ramenz Kitchen

浅月本店 Anytime I hear about a shop that opened in the 昭和 (Showa era 1926 - 1989), I have to try it. Satsuki is 昭和23, aka 1948. Fantastic. From father to son, this is a local legend of a shop. Autographs from famous people of yesteryear, yellowing in the shop. And an amazing bowl of chukasoba . Wow, wow, wow. With newer shops going all out in the ingredients department, it is still good to eat a classic bowl like this. Ramen has definitely become gourmet, especially in Tokyo, but the roots are in inexpensive comfort food, often made from bone scraps and cheap rationed wheat flour. Slurping a bowl like this helps us understand why ramen became a staple food in Japan. Looking back at my personal ramen journey, I was surprised to see that this shop was only a few minutes walk from the company dormitory that I stayed at when I first arrived in Japan more than 11 years ago. At the time, our boss recommended a terrible 180 yen ramen place next to the station. I slurped with my new cowo...

季織亭 Where do I begin with this shop. How about the location. You might have a little difficulty, as the shop is in a residential neighborhood. This shop is actually in   the master's house. Luckily, Japanese zoning laws are not very strict, and something like this is ok. How this happened is an interesting story. This is 川名さん, Mr. Kawana. He opened Kioritei as a bento shop back in 1991. Bento shops serve up boxed lunches, and there are many of them around Tokyo to feed the salaryman who doesn't have time to go to a restaurant, or maybe doesn't want to spend the big bucks. I often visit a local bento shop that sells an entire lunch for 200 yen. Less than $2. In 2000, the Kioritei bento shop started serving homemade ramen in the evening, as well as continuing the bento lunches. He further expanded in 2006 with a 2nd floor bar. Eventually it all ended in 2014. I never tried any of these spots, unfortunately. Lucky for me, in 2016 the fans convinced Kawana-san to reopen. He cou...

九十九里煮干つけ麺 志奈田 Akihabara's latest is Shinada, but the full name of this spot is kujukurin niboshi tsukemen shinada. Formerly Tanaka Second , one of my favorite shops. I was a bit sad when the master, Tanaka-san, decided to change his recipe. I loved it so much that I convinced a TV show to feature them on an episode we filmed: Raaaaaaaaaammmmmmmmmmmeeeeeeennnnn! As my days with #TokyoExtra are finished, I guess it is ok for this ramen to be as well. The shop's name now includes  kujukurinhama , the famous beach on the east side of Chiba. This part of Japan is very famous for niboshi , dried sardines. Although these dried sardines make their way into many styles of ramen, nothing utilizes them more than a bowl of thick tsukemen. Two styles. The above 純濃煮干しつけ麺 thick soup and the below 淡麗塩煮干しつけ麺 thin soup. Choose either. Better yet, go with a friend and get both. The differences are not just in the soup, but in the presentation of the noodles. The thinner soup means noodles s...

和歌山市 I've been to Wakayama a few times. I work there on occasion, and the city is a gateway to the Kii Peninsula, an amazing place for motorcycle touring. My ramen adventures, though, have been lacking. I visited the famous Ide Shoten before, as well as the shop that is constantly in the top 3 for national rankings, Seino . But the city of Wakayama has a legitimate ramen scene. I just needed a guide. I was told to wait at Wakayama-shi station, which was completely under construction. Then my guide showed up. For those who can't read the sign, 和歌山ラーメンタクシー says Wakayama Ramen Taxi. This service was created recently to promote tourism (and ramen) in the area. Select taxi drivers must pass an exam on local ramen and history. Only those who get a high enough score are deemed worthy of the title. Today, my personal ramen chauffeur would be Mr. Tamura. His hometown is Wakayama and his area of expertise is local history. Let's go! He wanted to take me to Ide Shoten, but I explaine...