Jin
Today is so hot again. I arrived in Susukino at 4:30 pm, and when I looked at the thermometer on the Keiai Building, the temperature was... 28℃!! Well, it's not too humid, so it might still be bearable. Well, on a hot day, nothing beats a steaming bowl of ramen, right? Now, as I walk through the alley, I hardly see anyone around. I approached a log house-style restaurant with its curtain out from the Ginza Street side, but the shutter was down. The front side is completely closed, and the alley side is halfway closed. Clearly, they are not open, right? Are they on a break? As I walked towards Maple Street, the same shops with their shutters down remain unchanged. However, even though the shutters were always down whenever I passed by, I decided to visit a shop that was open today. I was a bit curious. The shop has been in business for 35 years, and the current owner, who used to be the manager of an Italian restaurant in the Chuo Ward Maruyama area, started this shop from scratch, self-taught, after the owner's daughter (now his wife) and him took over when her father retired. I looked at the large menu next to the entrance. Hmm... it seems like they specialize in miso-based ramen here? But, I think I'll go for the "Light Soy Sauce Ramen for 750 yen." I don't know why, but out of the 16 shops in this alley, I have visited 7 shops, and I have eaten "Soy Sauce Ramen" at all of them (laughs). If you're a tourist, you should probably go for the miso ramen, right? Well, out of the 16 shops, only 6-7 have been open since last spring, so I wonder which shop I'll eat at next? As I entered the shop, there was one male customer and one female customer. The male customer seemed to be waiting outside. There was a strong-looking female customer sitting at the counter near the entrance, eating. I couldn't help but think, "Can you move your chair back a bit? It's narrow and hard to pass through, right?" Moreover, she had her belongings placed on the chair and even on the counter next to her (surprised). I looked at the menu, and although the sign outside said 750 yen, the menu inside showed 800 yen. It seems that the basic flavors - soy sauce, miso, salt, and soy sauce - are all 800 yen. So, I decided to go with the "Light Soy Sauce Ramen for 800 yen." Well, while waiting for my order, I usually look around, but today, I'll just stay quiet because there's someone with a threatening cough nearby (laughs). After about 7 minutes, my ramen arrived. The presentation was a not-so-rich soup with chashu, green onions, half a boiled egg, a sheet of seaweed, and white sesame sprinkled on top. The soup has a slightly unique flavor, right? The noodles are the standard medium-thick curly noodles from Sagamiya. The soup that coats the noodles... hmm... what is it? The soy sauce soup, with a noticeable oil film, is mild and easy to drink. But, this soup has a twist, it seems to have a blend of pork, chicken, and seafood in addition to the usual pork bones and chicken bones. I found out that they also use ground pork and chicken meat, and they reduce the amount of pork bones and chicken bones to prevent it from being too rich, allowing the meat flavor to come through. No wonder there's a slight twist to the otherwise traditional taste of the soup. The chashu is a thick, flavorful, tender slice of meat that falls apart easily. It's really good. The vegetables include crunchy bean sprouts and finely chopped cabbage, which seem more like they're included rather than toppings. Come to think of it... did it have bamboo shoots? Well, it was a delicious bowl of ramen. Next time, I might try their recommended "Spicy Miso Ramen - Spicy." Thank you for the meal.