I went for lunch with a friend to Daifukuya, which has been getting a lot of buzz in Akabane lately. Daifukuya is apparently part of the Setagaya group. I like the Setagaya shops and have been visiting them whenever I get the chance, and after Setagaya, Hirugao and Ramen Zero, this is the fourth one I’ve tried. Their main dish is the rich niboshi chuka soba, and since they say it condenses all the know-how the Setagaya group has built up over the years, I had high hopes.
For a more detailed write-up, see here!
The sign
Even though Akabane is a bit out of the way, there was a line, maybe because it was lunchtime. The counter seating inside isn’t all that big, but the shop itself is very clean, with none of that stale smell ramen shops tend to have. It seems all the Setagaya shops go for this concept.
Curry
Here’s a funny thing: ramen shops in Japan sell curry too. Ramen and curry, no matter how you think about it, just don’t go together, yet quite a few people order it. I heard that because students are hungry no matter how much they eat, the most popular item in Japanese school cafeterias is the ramen + curry combo, and that’s why so many ramen shops serve curry. The taste… might bring back fond memories of your youth, but it falls well short of a proper curry shop. A notch above instant curry, maybe? A side like a chashu rice bowl would have been fine instead… hmm. Anyway, I was curious what kind of curry they’d serve, so I ordered it once. I don’t think I’ll be ordering it again.
Rich niboshi chuka soba, large (oomori), 730 yen
As expected, the large and regular portions cost the same. Like Ramen Zero, they reportedly use no seasonings in the broth, and maybe that’s why it’s richly extracted yet has a clean finish. The dried sardines are simmered down well, adding depth to a simple flavor. On top of that, eaten with the high-quality chashu and the extra-large menma, it tastes twice as good. But because there are no seasonings, people who aren’t used to this kind of flavor might get tired of it. And even without seasonings, it was a little salty, which I guess couldn’t be helped. Maybe that’s part of the concept too…
The noodles
Honestly, since it was billed as a rich ramen I expected thick noodles, but thin ones came out. They lacked a bit of springiness, but they went well with the soup.
The food here was good, but I’d had too much to drink the night before, so the fat-free broth didn’t go down easily. It made me think that for a hangover you really need to go somewhere like Ippudo for tonkotsu ramen. Then again, before that, drinking too much at my age is a big no-no…