tokyo food file

Uni and ama-ebi ramen at Gonokami Suisan

Change comes in subtle increments in the ramen world, rarely in sudden leaps. That is why it was exciting to stagger – literally, we'd been drinking at the nearby Awajicho Craft Beer Market – into Gonokami Suisan (as profiled in my Japan Times column) earlier this year, not too long after it opened.

Located in the back streets to the north of Kanda station, this is the third Tokyo branch of the innovative Gonokami group. So we knew to expect some interesting new noodle ideas. But even so, we were profoundly impressed by some of the bowls we were served there…

These days you won't have to wait long to get in. But last December, after it opened, lines formed around the block to sample the trademark seafood ramen. Unlike the light, clear Kyushu-style agodashi broths, the soups at Gonokami suisan are thick and comforting, in the manner of a Southern French bisque.

 

The basic bowl is gindara (sablefish) ramen — the one above. The noodles, all made in-house, are served in a rich broth, topped with chunks of the fried fish. Chashu pork and ajitama eggs are optional extras. There is also a tsukemen version…

 

Sometimes, Gonokami Suisan also offers a thin, flat pappardelle-style noodle. That’s the one that goes best with the store’s major innovation — the uni-kake (sea urchin) ramen.

 

This uni ramen is the one that has generated the biggest buzz. It looks simple, topped with just nori seaweed and chopped negi, but the infusion of sea urchin – about one urchin per bowl, they say – gives it a powerful, addictive richness.

 

Recently, a miso ramen with salmon was added to the lineup, so it pays to keep an eye on the shop’s Facebook page. That’s how you get to know about their limited-edition noodles, such as the eye-popping ebi (shrimp) tsukemen, featuring a mandala of sashimi-grade ama-ebi shrimps on top.

 

Ramen is too often a pursuit for otaku, but Gonokami attracts a varied clientele. For that we can thank the easygoing staff, who may look like out-and-out hipsters but are welcoming, friendly and fiercely proud of the noodles they serve.

 

Unlike the other branches, Gonokami Suisan also takes it to the next level with the ticket machine. All the options are penned in using an ink brush in traditional Japanese style. Which makes it hard to read, but definitely gives an extra cachet to the operation.

And if you can't figure it out, just ask: they're all very eager to help!

PS: Gonokami means "Five Gods", and it refers to the name of the shrine (Gonokami Jinja) in Hamura, where the very first branch of this group was set up.

And the map link is here…

Anything good is worth waiting in the rain for…

Kagari certainly is.

 

Notwithstanding the sign over the door, Kagari does not serve buckwheat noodles. It specialises in Shina soba. That's another word for ramen, although it usually implies that it is classier than your standard ramenya fare, and also slightly closer to Chinese noodles.

Whatever, it's a brilliant little place. My column is now up in the Japan Times… Now here are a few more images.

Starting with the tori-paitan-soba. This is served with slices of chicken chashu; Kyoto bamboo shoot (not menma); a sprig of flowering nanohana greens; and as a garnish, kaiware daikon sprouts.

 

The special tsukemen – at Kagari they call it tokusei tsuke-soba – comes with a version of the niboshi broth, plus lots of good stuff on the side. From right to left, that's the aji-tama soft-cooked eggs with beautiful dark orange yolks; bamboo shoot; pork chashu; slices of roast beef; and chicken chashu.

 

And if you think you're still going to be hungry, you can order a bowl of the yaki-gohan – essentially a yaki-onigiri (grilled rice ball) – which currently is being served with a topping of fuki-miso and some mentaiko roe. This comes with dashi in a separate pot, which you pour over it to make chazuke. Absolutely outstanding!

 

Two things about Kagari:

1) The wait. There's no getting around it. Rain or shine, you get in line and wait. The good thing is smokers aren't allowed to light up (Chiyoda-ku rules); the bad thing is there's no shade from the sun or the rain.

2) The menu is all in Japanese. Here's what it looks like, so you can work out your order ahead of time...

One more thing: Kagari is quite hard to find. Here's a map link…

Marusen Seimen: a ramenya well worth the walk

 

Marusen Seimen, as profiled in my recent Japan Times column, is unlike any other ramenya in the city — and there are quite a few reasons why:

a) It specialises in Hakata-style noodles — but instead of serving them in tonkotsu (pork bone) broth, the soup is a thick mizutaki-style chicken broth.

b) Rather than generic broiler chickens, Marusen uses organically raised Daisen jidori* fowl.

c) The chashu served on top is also chicken — though pork chashu is also available (you will be asked which you want).

d) There is a substantial side menu of sophisticated tsumami appetisers, and proper tables along one side where you can have a beer or two before your noodles.

e) The BGM is great — as long as you like hip modern jazz (quite the opposite of the smooth muzak or Norah Jones-esque soft vocal jazz we get at too many restaurants)

f) The main noodle menu has been rendered into perfect English (but not, so far, the menus for the appetisers or the seasonal specials).

g) It's all no-smoking (there's a small bench outside for the smokers).

 

Here are a few more images:

"…the slurp-and-run crowd veer to the bar stools at the central counter…"

 

"…Don’t miss the cigar-shaped pan-fried yaki-gyōza pot-stickers…" 

"…or the steamed sui-gyōza, both stuffed with minced chicken…"

 

"…a favorite of mine is the kaoyapin, cold slices of chicken that you wrap up in a soft wheat-flour pancake and daub with rich, dark Peking duck-style sauce…"

 

"…and I’m always pleased to see vegetable dishes, such as pan-fried aona greens in garlic sauce…"

 

The pork chashu also makes a good side dish: it's lightly pan-fried and served with bean sprouts and find chopped negi scallions.

 

As for the noodles, I've already introduced some of the chilled summer specials in previous posts – including the hiyashi-chuka and the bukkake (that was one of the early summer specials).

But the spicy tsukemen – my favourite – is definitely worth reprising:

"…hiyashi goma-tsuke tantanmen. The noodles arrive adorned with plenty of cucumber, scallions, cooked moyashi been sprouts and crispy deep-fried wonton strips. This is served with a garnish of lightly spicy miso on top and a creamy sesame dip on the side. Highly recommended."

 

But year-round, it is the ramen and its flavourful chicken-based soup that is the main draw at Marusen. There are three different styles to choose from:

i) the Marusen Classic, with rich paitan-style** chicken broth;

ii) Toro-maru Chashu-men (in English this is called Marusen Chasui noodle), which has an even thicker soup and is served only with pork chashu; 

iii) Chuka Soba, served with a light, clear chintan** soup. 

For brevity's sake, in my JT review I only referred to the Classic style. In fact, the photo at the top of the column was of iii) the Chuka Soba with the clearest, lightest broth.

 

There's a reason why the Marusen Classic has its name: it's the stand-out ramen on the menu. This one (below) is the Shio/Salt.

 

The heartiest of the lot – and perfect for winter – is the Fish Classic (called Totomi in Japanese), which has powdered fish added to the thick paitan soup to give it extra heft.

 

One last addition to that list of what makes Marusen different and a bit special.

h) It even has a (brief) dessert menu: fruit sorbet – recently this has been mango, but in the past there was Okinawan shiikwasa; or annin-dofu, a creamy white tofu-like jelly made with – and tasting of – apricot kernels (think of a marzipan flavoured blancmange), topped with fruit syrup.

Both are excellent and are a great way to round off a meal at Marusen. Besides having a nice light sweetness, they also have a symbolic value. If (like me) you're not a local and have made the effort to get there, it just makes it feel that much more worth the hike from the station.

 

Marusen Seimen is almost equidistant from Gotanda and Osaki stations. It's just 2 or 3 minutes further to Osaki, but the road is much quieter – and doesn't take you past the edge of Gotanda's sleazy pink-light district. Take your choice.

The English menu is up on the Marusen Seimen website here…

 

* jidori = a breed of fowl specific to an individual geographical locale; Daisen jidori must (by law) be raised on  the slopes of Mt. Daisen in Tottori Prefecture (north of Kyoto)

** There's a good introduction to the essentials of ramen – including the different types of broth – on Daisuke Utagawa's Taste of Travel blog here…

summer noodles 2: bukkake Hakata soba

 

 

Another summertime special at Marusen Seimen

reward at Rokurinsha

The line outside Rokurinsha in the new Solamachi mall can be as much as an hour long. The chances are you'll be ready for a beer when you get to the end of it. Something like a nice big flagon of Sky Tree lager.

It's not actually frozen beer, but the joki flagon came straight out of a refrigerator all lovely and frosted.

 

Perfect for while you wait (another 5-10 minutes) for your tsukemen to be served. That's a saucer of menma bamboo shoots on the side as the otoshi nibble to go with it.

Trivia: as everyone in Tokyo knows, 634 refers to the height of the new tower.

NB: If that long queue seems offputting, I was told the wait is as little as 20 minutes if you go at the quietest time of the afternoon (around 4 pm) weekdays. Though this may not be true once the summer holidays kick in.