I’d just arrived in Fukuoka and had drunk a bit too much the night before, so breakfast obviously had to be tonkotsu ramen. After some thought about where to go, I headed to the Ichiran in Nakasu-Kawabata, because I’d heard it’s the only one in the country using Ramugi, a flour made specially for ramen.
The front entrance
It’s hard to tell where the front entrance actually is. I almost walked in through the staff door..
The order sheet
This is how I like it. The secret sauce would’ve been fine at half strength. Taste aside, it’s definitely fun that a ramen fanatic’s personal preferences get respected to this degree.
Inside
The famous study-booth style interior. If you’re not a ramen nut, it might not quite make sense.
Water is self-service
The basic ramen
I had to eat lunch not long after, so I’m keeping each meal as light as possible. Normally an extra noodle refill (kaedama) would be a given.
The noodles
Apparently these are noodles Fukuoka Prefecture developed for tonkotsu ramen, and maybe that’s why they really do taste better than ordinary noodles. They have the nutty depth of aged noodles and the springiness of freshly made ones. But the broth tastes the same as elsewhere, so the overall impact wasn’t that big. I heard that besides Ichiran, some Ippudo branches use the same noodles too, but I didn’t make it there this time. Whether I’ll get to go next time, who knows..
The ticket machine
Anything other than the basic ramen can be ordered separately at your seat. As I went to buy my ticket, a young woman in a face mask who looked a lot like Maki Goto breezed past.. Fukuoka really is something. I dropped in without much of a plan, but I’m glad I did.
Ichiran’s Tenjin Nishi-dori branch
This one apparently also has a menu item you can’t get anywhere else in the country, but eh, no need to go that far.. it’s still just ramen, right..
A black pork gyoza specialist.
Found this place while walking around. Maou, a premium shochu, was cheap here, which was tempting. I was thinking of dropping by for a plate of gyoza if I had time in the evening, but in the end my plans fell apart. I’ll pick up that story next time.