Lucky for me, I was in Tokyo for a junket, so I made ramen my mission. (My other mission to get a Jil Sander for Uniqlo double-breasted winter coat was a fail. Sold out!)
First up, Ichiran (Iwamoto Bldg. B1, 1-22-7 Jinnan, Shibuya-ku).
I dub it the Anti-Social Ramen, because you have zero human contact during the entire meal. First, you purchase a ticket from a vending machine at the entrance, then you queue up in front of a board with two rows of red lights. When a light turns green, it means a customer is done and you can proceed to the vacated solo booth seat.
The bamboo curtain is raised and a pair of disembodied hands politely slips you an order form in Japanese. I whisper: "Sumimasen, English please?" and the Japanese form is whisked away and replaced with one in English like magic. It is extremely detailed, from noodle firmness to strength of soup to spiciness to even the amount of green onions.
I order an egg, thinking it would be added in the soup, but it comes first, accompanied by a sachet of salt, a thoughtful wet napkin and detailed step-by-step instructions on how to peel it.
When the noodle arrives, unexpectedly quickly, the bamboo curtain is lowered and I am left to tuck in in private. The soup stock is awesome, but my order is too moderate, being my first time and all. I prefer much firmer the noodles, spicier soup and much more green onions.
The egg, too, is not runny enough -- a cardinal sin in my book.
Nonetheless, I slurp up every last drop.
Three days later, it is time to taste test the ramen at Ippudo, (Odagiri Bldg. 1F, 4-9-11 Roppongi, Minato-ku).
If you squint, you can just about make out the name of the shop on the chopstick holder, which would come in handy should you not be able to identify the shop (although the queue outside is dead giveaway). Also check out its website with the cutest Lego people zipping around. My digital camera, which keeps faltering intermittently on me throughout the trip, dies on the spot. And my film camera only has only three precious shots left.
The customisation of your order is not as detailed compared to Ichiran. I only get to choose the noodles (firmest, of course) and spiciness (more spicy). You also get to talk to the waitress and oogle the cute young chefs just an arm's width away behind the counter.
The noodles and spiciness are just right, though the soup is not as robust as Ichiran. Being the freak that I am about different food items mixing in the bowl, I am secretly pleased that the meat, seaweed and half a runny egg (which came with the ramen) are served on the side.
The ramen at Ippudo wins this round, but finicky me will definitely be going to Ichiran again finetune my order. And I need a return visit to Tokyo to try another apparently hot fave, Kyushu Jangara Ramen at Harajuku. Next time!
P.S. It is on my travel wishlist to visit the Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum. Other dream destinations include Legoland and Six Flags Magic Mountain.
P.P.S. Actually, my favourite noodle type is udon.
1 comment:
Anti-social ramen... very apt description!
I had my anti-social ramen experience in a ramen chainstore in Nagoya, and I guess being an efficient store with a traffic-light system... well, not the most tasty of ramens.
It didn't help that the serving staff was hidden behind the curtains!
Have you tried Baikohen near the financial district?
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