Tonpa-re Ramen - Ridin' a Hog!

 A Road Hog's Ramen

Hey Noodle-Heads,

This time, we visit a little shop off the beaten path a bit. It's easiest to access this place by bus, taking a northbound bus from Imaike Subway Station and exiting at the Miyakodori 1-Chome bus stop. That's the fourth or fifth stop North from Imaike on most northbound lines. The good news is, it's right next to the bus stop! That, and it has a cool sign.

If Dennis Hopper was still alive and had a ramen shop.

 Kurume Kyuushu Style Ramen

The shop sign advertises Kurume Kyuushu style ramen, and it really does have a distinctly different flavor to other tonkotsu (pork marrow) soups I've had in the past. It has a bitterness to the soup that does create an interesting contrast to the natural tang and umami of tonkotsu. It strikes me as something that may appeal to a more mature pallet.

Ramen for Grown-ups.

Get your starch on!

As well as having a soup with a bit of kick to it, the ramen at Tonpa-re features a starchy, somewhat heavy noodle. This may not appeal to everyone, but it's quite filling and gives the dish a real "stick to the ribs" quality. It's a good "comfort food" noodle.

Mmmmm...Comfy.

Down and Dirty

Also available in "Spicy" with a dollop of tobanjan stewed ground pork.

 The lowdown on Tonpa-re Ramen is that it faithfully obeys the K.I.S.S. rule. Keep. It. Simple, Stupid! This is a ramen for sitting down and filling your belly with. It is warm, rich and has just a hint of bitterness to wake up your taste buds. It doesn't try to wow the diner with complex flavor nuances or a dizzying variety of toppings. It stands on its own. This is Kurume Kyuushu Tonkotsu Ramen, take it or leave it. To make up your own mind about it, you can find the shop here.

Happy Ramening!

Nagoya Cochin Kamatamaya Ramen - Whatsamatta? Ya Chicken?

Finally! A ramen for chicken lovers!

Greetings Ramenators,

This time around, we visit a local ramen shop that hopefully won't leave you crying, "fowl". Sorry. I just couldn't help myself. The local treasure in question is the poultry-lover's dream, Nagoya Cochin Kamatamaya Ramen. While many ramen shops have a pork/chicken/fish/whatever wanders into the trap-base to their soups, Kamatamaya Ramen is all about the cockerel.

Nagoya Cochin Kamatamaya Ramen - Near Kurumamichi

Giving you the bird...so to speak.

The Nagoya Cochin is a local breed of chicken dating back hundreds of years that has garnered acclaim among livestock circles for producing flavorful and tender meat. This restaurant uses Nagoya Cochin chicken to make a tori-gara (chicken broth) soup to base its menu upon.

The main flavor choices are miso or shoyu (soy-sauce), served regular or Kamatama (broth-on-the-side).

 The Soup.

The soups are light and salty, with a nice poultry tang. That is, unless you order from the Kamatama Ramen menu. In those dishes, the miso or soy sauce is served in a bowl with the noodles and toppings for you to mix up and enjoy, but you are given a pitcher of tori-gara soup to add as much or as little as you like to control how tangy or chickeny(?) you want your soup to be.

A pitcher of hot chicken soup. How awesome is that?!

But Wait...There's More.

One thing that really stood out when trying out the food here, was the toppings. Specifically, the charshu (roasted meat) topping. Charshu is almost always pork, but in keeping with the poultry-dedicated menu, the charshu served at Kamatamaya Ramen is made of smoked Nagoya Cochin chicken.

The Bird is the word.

All things considered.

 Kamatamaya Ramen is a nice change of pace from a lot of the main fair. It's light, tangy, and the smoked chicken really is a delicious soup topping. While I still favor tonkotsu (pork-marrow) as my soup of choice, I really enjoyed the light, delicate flavors of Kamatamaya. Check out their menu and a map on their website here.

Kamatamaya's Shoyu (Soy Sauce) Ramen

Happy Ramening!

Hongo Tei Ramen - One of Nagoya's Own.

Ramen for EATING!

Greetings Ramen-jammers,

This time, we'll be stopping by a Nagoya local chain called Hongo Tei. This is a small chain of shops with a very dedicated following among those who know about them. They're kind of a local secret. There are a few of these shops sprinkled around Eastern and Central Nagoya and they usually have a line out the door around mealtimes. They claim to be the "Ramen King", and after sampling their fare, I can't gainsay that claim. This shop is a serious contender!

Hongo Tei Ramen - Near Hongo Station on the Yellow Line.

Tonkotsu vs Miso : Play-by-Play 

Hongo Tei has a menu that offers something for just about everyone. This time around, I sampled their signature "Paitan"(Whitewater) Tonkotsu Ramen and their Hongo Tei Miso Ramen. Both are top-shelf examples of excellent ramen. let me give you a few details:

Paitan - (white water) Ramen.

Contender #1: Paitan Ramen

This is a brilliant Tonkotsu Ramen that can be described using a single word: MEATY! The soup has a pork flavor so rich, one finds oneself growing a curly tail after downing half a bowl. Not just the soup, either. The Charshu Pork topping is enormous! It's basically a pork roast floating in your soup bowl. No, seriously. Look:

They give you THREE of these!

 This soup is a meat-lover's dream and a vegan's nightmare. A must-try for those who want to let their inner carnivore out for a holiday. But that's not all! There's more...

Hongo Tei Miso Ramen. Get ready to chew.

Contender #2: Miso Ramen

Tangy, full-bodied and with enough toppings to keep your choppers busy for a week; Here's Hongo Tei Miso Ramen. Not just the charshu pork, but egg and veggies too. This is a soup for EATING. I can't say enough good things. Lots of flavor. Lots of toppings. If this isn't King Ramen, it's definitely in the royal family.

Lunchtime includes bottomless rice, pickled veggies and kim-chi! The gyoza are extra. Sorry.

A Full Spread!

These guys really know how to do ramen. With a varied menu and a range of side dishes, this is a restaurant that won't leave you wanting. Nagoya has a real jewel in Hongo Tei.You can enjoy a bowl here or check out the website. It's worth stopping by.

Happy Ramening!

Kagetsu Arashi Ramen - Chikusa Station

Don't Stop 'til you see the Bottom of the Bowl - Kagetsu Arashi

Greetings Ramenites,

I bring more news of ramen goodness. This time, I write to tell you the skinny about Kagetsu Arashi Ramen. Although, "skinny" has little or nothing to do with the dishes available here. This is definitely not the kind of menu for watching one's figure. This chain of stores has branches in many cities around Japan, and even a few in Taiwan. I hesitated to include a large chain when writing about ramen in Nagoya, but the store is here and therefore deserving of a spot in the Nagoya Ramenosphere. Yep, ramenosphere... That's probably a word.

Kagetsu Arashi - Chikusa Station Branch

The Ramen - Ins and Outs

This is solidly good ramen. It doesn't have any real weak points. One leaves satisfied, with a full belly and a loosened belt. The ramen here is flavorful, filling and doesn't dent the wallet. Let me break it down for you.

Let the games begin!

Soup

The house soup here is called "genkotsu", a consomme that is so rich in bone-marrow it could probably be used to perform transplants! This is NOT a light soup! It is thick and filling, with lots of marrow, oil, and hints of garlic and black pepper. If this soup were any richer, it would have to be re-classified as ramen stew. I quite enjoy this soup, but if you prefer your soups on the lighter side, this might be a bit rich for you.

Noodle Girth...

Noodles

The noodles here are on the heavier side of average, in terms of girth. They combine with the soup and toppings to make a nice, rich, and above all, filling ramen.

Toppings

The standard toppings of the house ramen are nori seaweed, charshu pork, menma (bamboo), some sliced negi (leek) and a boiled egg. I wouldn't mind a few more negi or other veggies to add some texture to the meal, but what there is goes together with the soup nicely.

Hitting rock-bottom never felt so good.

All things considered...

This is a ramen that makes a meal. It has a soup that makes one want to drain the bowl and ask for seconds. While not particularly light or subtely-flavored, this is a bowl of ramen that doesn't disappoint the diner. You can enjoy a bowl at this location near Chikusa Station in Nagoya, or visit this website for a list of branches.

Happy Ramening!

Xiang Chi Dan Dan Mien - A must visit for those who like it hot!

 Ramen -VS- Tan Tan Men

One cannot talk about Ramen anymore without mentioning its spicier cousin, Tan Tan Men. Most ramen shops have one or more kinds on the menu nowadays, so I felt it necessary to sample one of the most popular tan tan men shops in Nagoya, Xiang Chi Dan Dan Mien. I have been frequenting this shop for many years now. It has expanded into a local chain with half-a-dozen branches around Nagoya.

Like this one in Sakae Underground Shopping Center.

They offer several variants of "Dan Dan Mien" or as we say in the ramen community "Tan Tan Men". You can have yours with or without soup base, with ramen-style thin noodles or with kishimen-style wide noodles.

I like mine without soup and with the kishimen-style noodles. Yes, I am wearing a bib.

As you see in the photo above, they give the diner a bib and expect you to really "slurp" when you're chowing down. People usually order one of two basic types:

#1 Tan Tan Men with Soup

The soup tastes strongly of sesame but still shows a bit of saltiness along with the togarashi pepper spiciness the dish is known for. The thin noodles which are served with this choice are not too soft and match the tantan soup quite nicely. The toppings are simple, just some meat with spices, herbs and bok choy. That and a LOT of pepper-infused sesame oil. It's not too busy, and it really lets the sesame flavor take center stage. That's it below, in the black bowl.

Which one to choose?

#2 Tan Tan Men w/out Soup

The white bowl above shows the no soup option. If you really want to "punch yourself in the mouth" with flavor, the tan tan men w/out soup is the way to go. No soup. No watering anything down. Just 100% pure sesame, herbs, spice, meat and heat! This is for people who eat lit matches and wash them down with kerosene. The noodles also pull out all the stops. These kishimen-style noodles are much heavier than standard ramen-style ones. I quite like them. This is one of my favorite noodle dishes anywhere, even if it is a departure from what one might think of as classical ramen.

 All things considered...

I like this place a lot. I can heartily recommend it for anyone who enjoys the spicier side of the ramen menu. However, if spicy dishes aren't your cup of tea, you might not enjoy the fare here as it is focused around a capsaicin-rich spice palette. Likewise, if a bigger, heavier noodle turns you off, you may want to stick to the tan tan men with soup, as it has more "ramen-style" noodles. If you'd like to check it out for yourself, visit this shop in Sakae or, you can find other branches at their website here.

Happy Ramen...er..I mean Tan Tan Mening!

Ginjyu Ramen

Ginjyu Ramen - Ozone, Nagoya

Shoyu Tonkotsu Soup Ramen

Ginjyu Ramen -Ozone

 Greetings, My fellow Ramen Ramblers,

    This time, our ramen ramblings lead us to Ozone, Nagoya. There we find Ginjyu Ramen, a small ramen shop specializing in Shoyu Tonkotsu Ramen. This shop did not disappoint and is definitely worth stopping by for a bowl. The key points I use to descide how much I like a given ramen are usually broken into three categories: Soup, Noodles, and Toppings. Let's take a look at what Ginjyu brings to the table, or in this case, counter.

• 
  

  

  Ginjyu's Negishu Ramen

  • Soup:

    The soup here is a garlic-infused Shoyu-Tonkotsu based soup. It has plenty of umami and a pleasant saltiness all on its own. However, what really makes it fun to eat here is the fact that the staff here allow you to select from three levels of soup and oil concentration for your own custom blend of flavors.
    

  •  Noodles:

    The noodles here are pleasantly firm, filling and compliment the soup nicely. They are also available in three different levels of firmness, just in case you favor your noodles a bit "soft" or "al dente".
  
  
  

  

  Ginjyu's Moyashi Ramen

  •  Toppings

    The topping selection here is limited, but the available options compliment the soup quite nicely. I sampled the Moyashi (Bean Sprout) Ramen with a soft-boiled egg topping, as well as, the Negishu (Leek and Roast Pork) Ramen. Both were well-matched to the soup and noodles to provide a complete and fulfilling ramen experience.
     

  • Overall

     Ginjyu Ramen is definitely worth a visit. The options available allow the diner to create a blend of soup, oil, noodles and toppings to make anyone walk away patting their tummy contentedly. At prices ranging from about 円650－850/bowl, it won't break the bank. Check it out for yourself using the map link, address, and phone number posted below:
    
    銀十Ramen
    5 Chome-1-3 Yada, Higashi-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi-ken 461-0042
    Ph: 052-722-2033
    
    

    Good Ramening!

Welcome to the Ramblings of the Ramen Rambler!

Welcome to the Ramblings of the Ramen Rambler, devotee to the Ramen marketplace of Nagoya, japan and its surrounding areas.

BOOM!

Ramen!!! The king of noodles! The sultan of soba! The Potentate...of...pasta?

Anyhow, I looooove Ramen. One of my favorite things to do is go hunting for new ramen shops that I might enjoy their noodly marvelousness. (Those are real words, right?)

I am currently living in Nagoya, Japan. This gives me the opportunity to enjoy some truly phenomenal ramen. However, the one thing I have always lamented was the shortage of English-language information about where to get a good bowl to scarf down. 

This blog seeks to remedy all that. I will be making regular posts featuring ramen shops from in and around the Nagoya area. These posts will feature information about the noodles, soups and toppings that make up that most beloved of noodle dishes.
  
I'll also include locations and shop information for those of you who wish to sample the goodness of these dishes for yourselves. 

Stay tuned! The next installment of the Ramen rambler will be coming soon!