Center Gai is pretty much the heart of Shibuya, but honestly there aren’t many places there worth eating at. Probably because the rent is so high. Shibuya itself has a fair number of good restaurants, but most of them are too far away if you just want to grab a meal while you’re strolling around Center Gai shopping and looking around.
Then a ramen shop with a queue opened up on Center Gai, and I was really curious. You could tell at a glance it was a place that competes on portion size, so I felt a bit daunted about going, but if I don’t go, who will ^_^
The front
It’s written 大臣 (“minister”) and read “Daijin.” The sign says it was founded in Meiji 140. The interior is neat and clean. It’s a new-concept shop created by Kukai (空海), a place that’s fairly well known in the ramen world. There are branches in Ikebukuro and Shibuya.
The table
The ideas for making the most of the tight space really stand out. I guess that’s because it was produced by a specialist shop.
The dipping broth
You dip the noodles in here. You can’t really see it from the outside, but there’s so much chicken in it you’d never believe it’s a 680-yen bowl of ramen. Sure, chicken is cheaper than pork, but a generous helping of toppings in the broth is always welcome. The broth is a typical shoyu ramen made from chicken bones, which you could call a bit monotonous, but the quality is high, with almost no off-flavors at all.
The pride of the house: the noodles
Yep.. this is what makes this place special: for your 680-yen ramen you can get an extra-large portion of up to 680 grams. To give you an idea of how much 680 grams is, places that serve small portions usually give you about 150 grams, so that’s enough for four people. It makes me wonder how they turn a profit selling like this, and it also makes me think, well, no wonder it’s popular. My guess is that they make their money on toppings and side dishes rather than the ramen itself.
I ordered the medium, which is 450 grams. The noodles were a little overcooked. Well.. even so, with this much food I’m not complaining. To my taste, among similar tsukemen, Yasubee is a bit better. Yasubee has a refreshing sourness, so the aftertaste is clean. And its topping is pork.. But for a place on Center Gai where you can eat ramen this good at this price, what more could you ask for? Highly recommended.