Blogspot - Ramenz Kitchen

麺屋 福丸 Happy anniversary to one of my favorite shops. If you check the date you'll see that I am almost exactly six months backlogged over here at Ramen Adventures. I made a rule a few years back to post twice a week. No more and no less. I think it is a healthy balance for both reader and writer, and I will stick with it. Just know, long-time reader, that nothing is current here. So this one-off anniversary ramen from one of my favorite shops is definitely  not available. Soup: Shamo chicken from Kagoshima and duck from Iwate. That's it. Toppings: Wagyu from Kagoshima, duck, and two kinds of pork chashu. Tare: A blend of salt seasonings from Fukumaru and nearby RAIK . If you are wondering how to get your hands on some limited ramen in Japan, twitter is your friend. Almost every shop runs a lively Twitter account, posting updates to hours, relevant news, and plenty of one-off upcoming bowls. It's all in Japanese though, so good luck. Anyways, the regular duck ramen here is g...

金澤濃厚中華そば 神仙 Shinsen is Kanazawa's most famous ramen shop. Highly ranked on the usual ramen lists, they also participate in ramen festivals, furthering their fame. Many shops present their creed up on the wall. Here it talks of their roots at Ideshoten , one of the country's most important ramen shops. I learned a new word! 無骨 (bukotsu) means unrefined or boorish. It seems to be a bit negative, so don't call your friend bukotsu. Food, especially ramen, is pretty good when it has an unrefined feeling. The character 無骨 is literally "no bones." Did you know that my cookbook has a recipe for ramen soup that doesn't use any bones? Shameless plug! How bukotsu of me! Lunch sets are popular, though they were out of the pressed sushi this time. Pressed sushi is an integral part of the Wakayama ramen scene. Love this "help wanted" sign. Basically, if you come in for an interview you can get a free bowl. In high school, friends and I used to pretend it was one...

麺屋大河  Road trip! Someone somewhere recommended the black miso ramen at this Kanazawa shop Apart from the regular miso ramen, they serve up this black one made with squid ink and a red one made with a chili and sansho blend. Oh, and this, their limited bowl. Incredible uni ramen. A bowl of creamy miso soup was blended with uni and topped with uni. This was one serious uni situation. Kanazawa's seafood market is one of the most famous in Japan, and their local sushi shops are coveted among sushi connoisseurs. So, yeah, the local product is legit. The black miso was excellent, but not as photogenic as the uni, for obvious reasons. FYI, this shop was ranked #5 in Japan for miso last year . Not bad for a little shop that isn't in Tokyo. Kanazawa is on everyone's Japan tourism list these days. Apart from the usual suspects (sushi, gardens, the market) in this popular town, keep in mind that there is great ramen as well.

味処 むさし野 Three years ago I started on a journey to eat at all 50 shops on the Tabelog best-of list. Most were easy to slurp, but those in the countryside alluded me. Now, a few years later, I get to scratch off number 48. http://bestoframen.com/lists/best-of-tabelog-2015/ Musashino is near-ish to Matsudo. Go ahead and take the 20-minute walk out of town to this retro shop. The chairs are made from reclaimed temple wood. Complete with ancient termite marks. Like I said . . . retro. The ramen? Hot damn. I'm sure your eyes immediately went to the side. That is their seasonal rice bowl. For only 300 yen it was raw scallop, whitebait, stewed pumpkin, and some greens on rice. A steal! The ramen is simple and classic. Homemade noodles are pressed flat and crinkled up with a lot of bite.  Eggcelent? I won't go there. Shio, shoyu, tsukemen, and a spicy sesame bowl are on offer. Worthy of a top 50 list. It's a little bit of a schlep from Tokyo so only serious ramen nerds will make i...

純手打ち 麺と未来 Mentomirai is a new shop in trendy Shimokitazawa. Are you a fan of this part of town? Personally, you can often find me here on Wednesday evenings for the weekly stand-up show . And maybe a bowl or two. From left to right, even though in Japan you go right to left, we have tare, broth, and noodles. The tare seasoning uses salt high in minerals and a large amount of Kuranomoto (蔵の素), a brand of very high quality cooking sake as well as Ayugyoshu (鮎魚醤), a fish sauce made from Japanese Ayu. This fish sauce is apparently a secret ingredient at a three-starred restaurant in Paris. One of my ramen friends actually thought it was a bit much flavorwise. For me, spot on. The soup is a simple, high-quality chicken and Japanese dashi mix. No additives, the umami is all from the ingredients. If the attention to detail in the soup wasn't enough, the noodles are where this bowl stands out from other shops. Hand rolled and cut in-house. They are rough, uneven, and chewy as hell. Al...

Wagyu Mafia Is it uncouth to write about exclusive ramen that mere mortals could never taste? Probably. But in a world where Instagram has become such an ego extension, it is par for the course. Let the bragging begin! This is Shono-san. If you follow the Tokyo ramen scene, you'll know him as the genius behind MENSHO. Seven shops in Tokyo, one in San Francisco, and now one in Bangkok. Today he teamed up with this guy. Sato-san. The man behind the member's only wagyu restaurant Wagyu Mafia. He has quickly become a legend in the culinary world. Wagyu Mafia sources the best-of-the-best beef in Japan, without worrying about price, and serves it to VIP diners. Every high profile chef on the planet is friendly with the guy, and every foodie dreams of dining at one of the Wagyu Mafia outlets. They also dream of capturing the infamous pose; Sato-san doesn't shy away from the Instagram hype machine. Regardless of this photo-centric food trend, his stuff is legit. Back to Tokyo (the ...