My First Taste of Citrus Shinn Duck Negi Ramen
Meow meow, hello everyone, and welcome back to my ramen-fueled weight-gain journey. This is shop number 14: Citrus Shinn Duck Negi (柑橘 shinn 鴨蔥)! For me, Citrus has always been one of those places I could admire from afar but kept skipping because it felt too far away every time. Today I finally found the time to hit up a branch that’s a bit closer. We arrived at 18:20, and there were already a few people in line ahead of us. You first have to sign your name and party size on the board by the door, and we got called in to order at 18:29.
Citrus Shinn Duck Negi: location and details
Citrus Shinn Duck Negi in Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/HraErkWAPvhgjHDf8
The Bubble Series • Duck & Clam: broth, toppings, texture, and my thoughts
I took a look at the ticket machine and noticed some little symbols on the buttons. Some were marked as “duds” and others as “recommended.” I figured there was nothing I couldn’t handle, right? I’ve eaten so many kinds of ramen by now, surely I wouldn’t be scared off? So I ordered the Bubble Series • Duck & Clam paired with the Bubble Series mini char siu rice. Spoiler alert: I ended up really regretting it.
After about 3 minutes, the rice arrived, which is seriously fast. The rice itself was on the dry side and had a bit more fatty meat in it, but overall it was a perfectly decent bowl of rice. I honestly couldn’t tell whether the meat was duck or not. The duck sauce on top, though, definitely wasn’t mayo. It tasted specially seasoned and noticeably different from chicken.
I hadn’t even finished the rice before the ramen showed up. This place’s serving speed really is fast. So let me give the legendary Citrus Bubble Series a try and see what it’s like! The moment I took a bite, I understood why it was marked as a “dud.” This ramen was unlike any ramen I’d ever had before. Overall it’s a bit like a richer version of Qi Mian Niao (七麵鳥) ramen, but with this extra note of… alcohol? Or maybe Chinese herbal medicine? Or maybe seafood? I think you’d really have to taste it yourself to get it.
When they brought it out, the staff also kindly explained how to eat this bowl of ramen. There was even a little hourglass next to it telling you that if the Citrus broth steeps past that time, it starts turning bitter. Though I honestly couldn’t really taste the difference. The bubbles on top were slightly cool, and the whole bowl was close to room temperature, so it didn’t burn my mouth. There were a few pieces of duck sitting at the bottom, which was pretty unusual.
Okay, so those are my overall thoughts after trying the Bubble Series • Duck & Clam. All in all, this is a ramen shop I’d want to come back to. It does something genuinely different from other ramen joints, so I recommend it! Thanks for reading all the way to here. If you enjoy my posts, feel free to hit follow, and I’ll see you next time!