Friday, August 16, 2013

らーめん 元山亭 - Motoyama Tei, Hiyoshi


冷やし塩らーめん - Cold Shio Ramen, ¥750

    So what do you do when you have a quench for some ramen at the peak of summer? For a lot of people (Not me!) the idea of soup is unthinkable, so you either go without, brave the hot soup, or have it a little chilled. Since Motoyama Tei was offering the later, we went with that one.
   There were a few people around for the awkward Sunday 4pm lunch(?), despite their being an abundance of ramen shops in Hiyoshi - which I'm certain is related to there being a Keio University campus on the other side of the station - and an interior that resembled a burger joint more than a ramen shop. The shop itself is an offshoot of the more famous shio ramen shop, Honmaru Tei, in Yokohama.


   It definitely provides the relief from the heat that you are looking for which, if it's your main purpose, can be a great thing but the ramen itself may not be for everyone. The noodles were quite firm and suited the citrus-tinged soup well - the soup, however, was a bit same-y and lacked some punch, so I added some yuzu paste to get it going.


    Not the greatest, but far from the worst and points for trying to adapt to the climate.

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Sunday, August 11, 2013

油そば専門店 万人力 - Banninriki, Iriya


油そば 並盛 - Regular Abura Soba, ¥600

   Every now and then you come across a ramen shop that is really into creating a instantly recognisable brand, and with T-shirts for sale for ¥3500 and a simple yet deceptively difficult to read name - is that Banjinriki? - written on everything, Banninriki is one of these places. There's also an interesting counter here with a walkway for the staff through the middle that kind of resembles a kaiten zushi  restaurant.


   The regular size is 140g of noodles which is usually good for ramen, but seemed a like a pretty small amount here. I should have gone for the next size up...
   Commonly with abura soba you are expected to mix in a little vinegar and raayu, chili oil to keep the noodles moist. The recommended amount at Banjiriki is to squeeze while making 1.5 revolutions. That seemed to be an optimal amount as I thoroughly enjoyed this one.





Sunday, August 4, 2013

油そば専門店 浜そば - Hamasoba, Yushima


浜そばスペシャル - Hamasoba Special, ¥730

   Hamasoba may have the smallest shopfront I have ever seen. However, with the ubiquity of smartphones and applications, or アプリ these days, you don't have to worry about missing it. Just switch on your GPS and you will be directed to the nearest ramen shop from your current location. Being technically challenged though, I remembered walking past this one on my way to another ramen shop. Interestingly you face the wall when eating with your back to the kitchen. Well, not particularly interesting...


    No soup to be had here - Just some very firm noodles and a bunch of other stuff. It was quite a good, no-frills bowl. Definitely the type that would go down well after a bit of a drinking session.