Suginami City, Tokyo, Japan｜Harukiya Ogikubo

I got the large bowl; ¥1,500, with chashu pork and bamboo shoots. Let’s start with the broth — it’s a soy-based broth with seasonings, pork, and fish (baby sardines, actually) somewhere in there. There is a bit of oil on top. It’s a balanced broth — can’t say it’s thin or rich, but I drank every drop of it. The broth entertained the taste buds without overpowering it. Flavorful and nourishing. The pork is lean, and lightly-seasoned. It’s quite bland, actually, but not dry. It is easy to bite and quite easy to chew — not stringy at all. The texture reminds me of boiled pork. The bamboo shoots are superb. Sweet and soy. It’s the strong flavor in the bowl you’ll need if you want a kick on your taste buds. I guess this is the balancer for the rather bland pork. And the star — the hand-made noodles. They’re perfect. Chewy, al dente, and they take in the broth flavor really well! This is one of the best ramen bowls I ever had. No wonder they’re still here after 60 years. I will be back.

A post-war ramen shop serving the famous Ogikubo-style fish-base ramen noodles. A welcome respite from the ubiquitous tonkotsu in simple surrounds.

Good old base of Ogikubo style ramen, still popular and loved by the people. The soup is soy sauce based but is milder than it looks seemingly with many ingredients used.