牛骨ラーメン 香味徳 - Kamitoku, Ginza

香味徳ラーメン, Kamitoku Ramen

　A good blogger is usually following the latest trends and reporting about them before they have become widespread and well-known. I do not do this - which means the trend of gyuukotsu, or beef ramen that took off in 2011 (or was that 2012?) was first sampled by me in 2013! Another thing a good blogger does is write their blogs soon after they have experienced whatever it is they're writing about... Let's just say I don't remember when I went here. But I don't remember coming home last night either, so it's all relative.

   One thing I do remember is that this place had a one coin ramen on Sundays so ￥500 was pretty reasonable. It was certainly quiet inside, but Ginza doesn't generally have the reputation of a ramen mecca. I know I enjoyed the bowl but it was somehow different. It seemed more like a bowl of pho than ramen. I hope that it also customary to drain all the soup from a pho too...

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Kamitoku Homepage

朧月 - Oborozuki, Ginza

中華そば玉子入り - Chuka Soba with Egg, ￥750 (+￥100)

    As you're probably well aware, ramen is serious business. With around 5000 stores in Tokyo alone there is  not only a lot of competition, but a lot of variety between stores. This is pretty evident through the ramen alone but it can also be the atmosphere of the store and the way that staff interact with their customers. Here at Oborozuki, there was no interaction - the chef was dead serious, a point that is hard to conceal from your customers when they can sit at the low counter and, with nothing much else to do while waiting, pore over your every move. The chef didn't mind working alone though, his assistant was just that - pouring waters, removing empty bowls and making sure the orders were in the right place.

    Of course, you don't go to a ramen store to admire the aesthetics of the restaurant, a visit shouldn't last anymore than 30 minutes. You'll be back if it tastes good. With this at the forefront of our minds we decided to double our chances of finding a good bowl. The tonkotsu gyokai tsukemen arrived first. Which by all accounts was pretty good - everyone but me was slurping it.

  I went with the shoyu flavoured chukasoba.

   As per usual, I ordered an egg as topping, but this came with a little surprise, an uzura egg, Japanese quail. A little unsure of it, it was the first to go - it was a lot smaller and quite different to a regular egg. I could then set about my ramen. It was quite a filling bowl, perhaps it was the umami flavour which made it very wholesome. Some nice, curly noodles matched the soup perfectly too.

    Although Ginza isn't known for it's ramen, there are quite a few good shops around.  Just don't expect a fun time and a lot of smiles.

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五行 - Gogyo, Ginza

焦がし味噌ラーメン - Kogashi Miso Ramen, ￥900

    Gogyo is a pretty interesting ramen shop to visit in that I don't feel I can use the term shop as the reality is it's a restaurant that happens to have a unique and very enjoyable ramen as the most popular dish on the menu. Rather than dip into the communal for your disposable chopsticks, there are chopsticks waiting you along with a warm oshibori and even a coaster for your drink.

    The restaurant itself is dimly lit and rather fashionable - not quite what we've come to expect from a ramen shop but in the competitive ramen business, shop owners have to use their nous to create sonmething that stands out from the crowd. That said, it fits right in in Ginza and the other restuarants on the 7th floor of the Velvia building.

  The restaurant floor frequently lights up when there is a bit of commotion in the kitchen...

    These little spot fires are quite common as they are necessary to complete the kogashi (to burn) part of the dish. Both the shouyu and miso ramen are seared like this before they are brought out to you. We ordered each and the shouyu arrived first.

     I only tried a little of the soup and it tasted a little like yakitori. At this point I was almost regretting my decision and wanted to dive into this bowl. Then mine arrived...

    It's always great to try something for the first time as you can't imagine just what it is your about to get yourself into. With ramen, some bowls are rather forgettable and there are others where you wish you could try for the first time again without any expectations. Kogashi miso ramen falls firmly into the latter. It's not much to look at but it certainly hits the spot and has a sophisticated ginger-y flavour that clashes with the overall charcoalness (I'm well aware that's not a real word!) of the soup . 

    Since Gogyo has a bar, it was only natural that we would order a drink that wasn't beer. (I'm pretty sure I've never seen anything else at a ramen store). I got a Gin and Tonic!

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Gogyo Homepage

九州じゃんがら - Kyushu Jangara, Ginza

 

ぼんしゃん （豚骨ラーメン）, Bonshan (Tonkotsu Ramen) ￥700

    Strangely,  ramen shops in Japan generally haven't used the marketing technique which is so popular in Japan - that of using a mascot to promote your product. Generally the rustic environment is the preferred setting. However, Jangara ramen is one such place where the tried and true method of having a cute little animal or character represent your store is in full swing... And we're all the better for it. 

    There are a few Jangara stores in Tokyo, and they seem to be around most of the major hubs (Harajuku, Ginza, Akihabara, etc) so they are pretty easy to find. The interior somewhat matches the vibe from the outside with lots of bright colours being used and it could be mistaken for a family restaurant except for the fact that people are more often than not eating alone even though they are sharing a table with strangers. (I was lucky enough to have 3 strangers join me on my table of 4!) This also made life a little difficult when trying to stealth a few photographs.

    I went to the Ginza store which seems to be the least popular of the ones I'm aware of and turnover was quite high as people were, more or less,  in-and-out in less than 15 minutes. One reason for this is that the time spent waiting for your ramen is quite short (just 2 or 3 minutes) and the bowls are actually quite small. Most of us in the store looked a little like this guy once we had started our ramen.

     The Kyushu Jangara bowl is the most popular, but I opted for the #2 Bonshan, which is a little less oily and greasy,  although they are both variations of tonkotsu ramen. I must admit that the Bonshan is pretty solid, but for some reason it reminds a little of "Chicken Noodle Soup"- an instant soup back home in Australia.  I enjoyed the soup a lot more once I had helped myself to some of the crushed garlic on the table.

    Jangara seems to be a pretty popular store amongst Japanese and foreigners alike (Liam Gallagher supposedly dines at the Harajuku branch- Keep an eye out when Beady Eye tour in May) and definitely delivers with a unique atmosphere and a unique taste.

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Jyangara Homepage