When telling people about tonkotsu ramen, which is the specialty ramen of my hometown, I am sometimes surprised when they don’t react enthusiastically to the prospect of a soup made of pig bones, boiled for hours and hours to create a flavorful opaque broth which is worlds different from the clear soy-sauce chicken broth of Tokyo ramen. Really, the soup smells delicious when it’s served, but the smell is rather strong when the soup is being made. I remember as a kid holding my nose as I’d walk past the most famous shops in Hakata. I now know that the smelly shops serve the most soulful broths, so be at least a little skeptical of a shop you can’t smell.
To be honest, I’d always liked tonkotsu, but I only grew to appreciate it as a homesick 18-year old who had just moved to Tokyo, settling for the cheap yet soulless offerings of a franchise which shall remain nameless. (Ok, it was 幸楽苑, at ¥290 a bowl, and still entitled to complain.
Whether ramen really has soul or it’s just a ludicrous myth spun by movies is not something I feel can be verified or denied by one individual, but rather a truth that must be held individually through experience. The existence of soulless ramen, on the other hand, is something I can testify to wholeheartedly. Limp, mushy noodles with no sprightliness or joy, breaking at the touch of the chopstick and falling back into a tepid, insipid, bleach flavored soy broth on which float two useless halves of an overcooked egg. Soulless ramen.
Hakata ramen, synonymous with tonkotsu ramen, is served with thinner, harder noodles than it’s Tokyo counterpart. It’s not uncommon to have a small serving of rice topped with 明太子 (mentaiko, or spiced cod roe) as a side.) The savory soup is rich and almost creamy. It’s the perfect comfort ramen.
The noodles are topped with chopped green scallions, a sheet of crisp black nori, slices of pork called char-siu (チャーシュー ), and a chewy fungus called jew’s ear (I don’t make the rules). Additional condiments available at the tables include pickled spicy mustard greens called takana, white roasted sesame seeds, slivers of vibrant red ginger called benishoga that add a fresh contrast to the decidedly earthy soup, and a clove of raw garlic squeezed directly into the soup with a special crusher made available at the table or on request. I’d suggest trying the soup first before adding the condiments to really enjoy the base flavor.
Something gourmands with a larger than average appetite will love about Hakata ramen is the kaedama, which is an additional serving of noodles added to the remaining soup. I know people who have been known to wolf down 3 of them. Ramen veterans will order the noodles a little before, not after, finishing their final bites of the first bowl to ensure minimum waiting time during the interval while their second serving is being prepared. Kaedama usually cost 100-150 yen, but there are places you can get it free.
You’ll already have been asked in advance how you would like your noodles. You can ask for them very hard, (barikata de, comparable to al dente pasta), on the hard side (kata-de, my personal recommendation, and the way it is most commonly enjoyed in Hakata), normal (futsu de), or on the soft side (yawa de).
Where to get it:
Authentic: The Hakata Ramen Center in Iidabashi
The best Hakata ramen I’ve had to date in Tokyo. It’s a tiny shop, barely squeezing in 8 at lunch, but the ramen is simple, fast, and delicious. The name is bland, but that’s just the thing; I’ve found the shops with the bland names in Fukuoka are often the good ones (i.e A ramen place near my hometown, Anzen Shokudo, literally “The Safety Diner” is always packed out at lunch)Prices:
Ramen: 600 yen
Kaedama: 150 yen
Soft boiled egg: 100 yen
Rice is free from 1:00-17:00 on Weekdays. Try it with the complimentary tarako furikake at the counter.Address:
8-7, Iidabashi 1-Chōme Chiyoda, Tokyo Japan 102-0072It’s about a 5 minute walk from JR Iidabashi East exit.
Open Mondays through Fridays 11:00〜0:00,
Saturdays and public holidays 11:00〜20:00, Closed Sundays
Gourmet: Ichiran
Ichiran is a ramen lover’s dream come true. A franchise hailing directly from Fukuoka offering traditional 60s style tonkotsu, Ichiran attracts customers by the droves, and you may need to line up for a seat.
Customers are seated at small booths not unlike confessionals, and they fill out a list of their preferences as to the richness of the soup, the type of scallions used, the texture of the noodles, and the red spice level (First timers are recommended to get the half regular spice amount. Omission is an option too. Nobody will judge you, you baby.)
Eating ramen can be a messy and decidedly unsophisticated business, slurping hot noodles from a grease laden broth. Customers enjoy the privacy afforded in the booths which allows them to do the deed with dignity and without losing face.
If you like it enough, you can even buy take away packaged noodles and soup to recreate the dish at home, but I’ve never had to as there are thankfully 12 locations in Tokyo including in Shibuya, Shinjuku, Harajuku, Ikebukuro, and Suidobashi.Prices:
Ramen: 750 yen
Kaedama: 150 yen
soft-egg: 100 yen (Recommended! Really good with the spicy soup)Website: http://www.ichiran.co.jp/english/
Budget: Hakata Furyu
I’m hesitant to introduce this place. If you’re a Tokyo resident and need a tonkotsu hit, it’s a convenient chain with multiple locations, passable ramen, and great value. That being said, if you’re only in Japan on vacation, I’d try somewhere else. This franchise only exists in Tokyo, really, and it would never thrive in Fukuoka.
The attraction here is the free kaedama. You can have an additional 2 servings free,
Located in Takadanobaba, Akihabara, Ikebukuro, Shimbashi, Shibuya Dogenzaka (always drunk people at this particular location after 12. The shamefully garish yellow sign blends right in with the rest of Shibya’s skankiness. Try the takoyaki shop just across. Way better than Gindaco)Prices:
Ramen: 500-600 yen (Tonkotsu, Shio, Miso, Spicy)
egg: 100 yen
Corn topping: 100 yen
Kaedama: two for free
Tokyo Corners 