On a chill December evening, there's no better way to wrap up an evening of bar and izakaya action than a steaming-hot bowl of satisfying ramen to stoke up the inner embers for the long ride home. In the carousing back streets of Jimbocho, you're not starved for choice.
Kiwamiya is too mainstream to ever grab the attention of the ultra-ramenistas, but it's definitely worth knowing -- if only for the fact it's on the main drag (Yasukuni-dori), easy to find, and just steps from the subway station.
The long, red aka-chochin lantern grabs your attention first. But it's the timber-clad facade and bright, airy interior that make you want to drop your cash into the ticket vending machine, slide open the door and investigate further.
Inside, it feels nice and comfortable, with a high ceiling crisscrossed by faux farmhouse beams. There's plenty to look at as you wait for your order to be processed: the large wooden plaques on the wall give you the run-down on how the noodles and soup are prepared. Only the best ingredients, of course...
They're particularly proud of their thick, rich tonkotsu soup. Apparently it's made from a proprietary blend of pork, chicken and beef, supplemented by a mix of seafood (skipjack, mackerel, shrimp, crab, squid) and vegetables.
They also want you to know that, instead of regular shoku-en (cooking salt), they use rock salt mined in the Himalayas. To prove it, they keep some large chunks of it sitting on the counter looking into the kitchen. It's strictly just for display, though: no licking allowed, no matter how inebriated you may be.
But it's all about the noodles in your bowl: and they certainly hit that well-cliched spot. This is the tokusei "special" shoyu ramen -- the other option is "shio" (the broth seasoned with that pretty, rose-coloured rock salt).
And it's good too. Thin, easy-to-slurp noodles; a couple of slices of melting-soft chashu pork; particularly tasty golden-yolked ni-tamago egg; a couple of squares of toasted nori; and fine chopped negi scallions on top. A very satisfying slurp indeed.
In fact, Kiwamiya is so comfortable it's tempting to order a glass or two of shochu and settle in for a bit. There's a small side menu of tsumami nibbles to help sway your mind.
Another plus (for many) is that they keep it bright enough that you can delve into your manga or a tome picked up at one of the local second-hand bookstores. That, after all, is the other key reason why you are likely to be in Jimbocho.
The website for Kiwamiya is here...
And here's a tabelog map...
