This post was written in 2005. Shop details and prices may have changed since then.
Lately I bought a book of 500 really good ramen shops, and I’ve been making the rounds of the famous ones.
But being famous doesn’t mean a shop actually serves good ramen. Prime examples are Kyushu Jangara Ramen and
Naritake, supposedly Chiba’s number one.. these places just don’t seem able to cope with the crowds..
They can’t keep things consistent through the day either.. both broths were way too salty, so I just fished out some noodles and toppings and left it at that.
For all their fame, the taste was really shabby. If only the first broth of the morning is any good, there’s
no point going out of your way to visit. (It’s not like it’s French cuisine.) Wandering around like that, I did find two pretty decent
ramen shops: one is in Akihabara, and the other is near
Chiba Station. The photo above is the sign of Suehiroya, which serves Yokohama iekei-style ramen and is one of the few
decent ramen shops in Chiba. I waited 30 minutes to eat.. and by the time I left, the line had grown about twice as
long..
This place is pretty good. The ramen is made by guys who really know what ramen is about. They don’t make the broth
ahead of time; they serve broth made right before it goes out. Same with the noodles.. things like the chashu
are a bit weak… but the broth was excellent. Not salty either.. they take a break after lunch
and then open again for dinner.. that’s how they keep the taste up. It takes this level of flavor.. to make it worth
going out of your way to eat there..
But still… however clean the taste, maybe because of the limits of a pork-bone base..
it’s a notch below the gomtang at Hadongkwan, Korea’s number one.. and the price is about the same -_-;; Next time I’m in Korea
I should drop by Hadongkwan.. not sure I’ll have the time though.