My First Bowl of Ichi no Ana Ramen
Intro and shop details
Ichi no Ana Ramen on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/JEpJEXYabZUbQK3D9
How’s everyone’s long weekend going? If you’re in the mood for something a little different, you might want to give niboshi-style ramen a try, that is, ramen with a broth simmered from dried little fish as the base. Today’s spot is Ichi no Ana Ramen.
For once, a ramen shop with no line! I got there around 19:30 and went straight for the niboshi ramen, which is pretty much their signature dish. The price was a touch on the high side, but still within the acceptable range.
The niboshi ramen: broth and toppings
After waiting about 15 minutes, the food arrived. See the color of that broth? That’s the essence of countless little fish right there.
The chashu is thick and firm, the chewy kind, with the broth’s flavor still clinging to it. The first thing you taste when you sip the soup is the saltiness, the kind of salty smell you’d catch at a fishing harbor. Once your tongue gets used to it, you start to notice it’s not just salty, there’s a tonkotsu (pork bone) flavor underneath too. The broth is thick enough that you could almost treat it like a slightly watered-down dipping-noodle sauce, but by the end it starts to steal the show a bit. Thankfully there’s onion on the side to cut through the richness. There are also chunks of fatty pork that add to the texture, and the soft-boiled egg is different from other places, no sweetness, but the texture nails it. Nothing half-baked here.
Toward the bottom of the bowl you’ll notice more and more sediment building up, which throws off the texture a little. I’d suggest adding a half portion of noodles to go with it. Personally I wouldn’t strongly recommend this place; in my book it just about passes. That said, if you suddenly get a ramen craving but don’t have much time, it’s still worth a visit!