Haruchan Ramen in Shinbashi got popular, picked up a Michelin Bib Gourmand, and then opened a branch in Ginza. Going to the Shinbashi shop means queuing, and it didn’t fit my route that day either, so I went to the Ginza one.

The place

I get the feeling the “-chan” school of ramen shops is having a moment lately.

The front

It’s a decent size, but there’s no queue. Because it’s a branch, I suppose.

Ticket machine

This is how it works..

Inside

Nice and clean. The part-timers were all foreign staff. I gather the soup is made at the main shop and the foreign staff just handle the serving, so the taste is no different from the main shop.

Water glass

Nothing special here..

Ramen

A pork bone and niboshi blend broth with plenty of lard floating on top, so it tastes hot and comforting. Some people say the “-chan” style shops go light on fat, but that doesn’t seem to be true. Fat is what makes ramen taste good..

The noodles

They have an udon-like springiness, which goes really well with the shio ramen. It felt like a very well-made bowl. Though the price is a bit steep.

Special ramen

Adding an ajitama is apparently what makes it the “special”. Having eaten it, this really is a shop that knows what it’s doing. It was the kind of good ramen you feel you could eat every day without getting sick of it (whether I actually wouldn’t get sick of it, I couldn’t say..). I had a chance to try it in Shinbashi once, and I found myself regretting not eating it back then.

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