My First Bowl of Tokyo Shoyu Ramen at Ranmaru
Intro
I don’t think I’d ever really given shoyu (soy sauce) ramen a proper try. Most of the time I default to the rich, heavy broths, because deep down I always felt like ordering shoyu ramen was basically just drinking a bowl of soy sauce soup — like I’d be getting ripped off!!!
But this time I went for the shoyu ramen instead. The main reason was that my friend isn’t a fan of the heavy, rich styles. The other, more personal reason is that I’ve kind of reached the point where I can’t really taste the difference between the various rich-broth ramens anymore. So from here on out, I’m planning to hunt down all the shoyu ramen Taipei has to offer and see if anything can break my fixed impression of ramen.
So today we’re eating at Eagle Style Tokyo Shoyu Ramen — Ranmaru. It’s run by the same owner as my current number-one favorite shop, Eagle Style — Gokujou Ramen. But this place has a shoyu-based ramen, so today we’re not here for their rich broth.
Where to find Eagle Style Tokyo Shoyu Ramen — Ranmaru
Eagle Style Tokyo Shoyu Ramen — Ranmaru on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/TWZt5J7v5FqfE3HJA
We arrived at dinner time, 6:22 PM (on a weekend), and got seated around 6:45 PM — so we waited about 23 minutes total, which I’d say is still acceptable. The food came out in roughly 8 minutes. The shop uses a Taiwanese-style setup plus a meal-ticket vending machine. The seating space is incredibly cramped — about as packed as Banqiao’s Christmas Land — to the point where getting to your seat means bumping into the backs of other ramen-slurping customers.
You’ll even be halfway through punching in your order at the ticket machine and have to step aside to let someone who’s finished their noodles squeeze past — I saw similar complaints in the online reviews too. But this is Zhongshan, and when a place manages to make the food beautiful and the prices beautiful too, I figure it’s hard to ask for much more on top of that little bit of inconvenience.
The texture of the Clear Broth SP, and the overall flavor of the soup
Okay, enough chatter — let’s bring out the food. Today I ordered the Clear Broth SP, and I have to admit I was a little disappointed. In my head, an “SP” should be like Gokujou’s loaded-up SP — overflowing with both veggies and meat, practically spilling over the edge of the bowl. But this bowl was just… “memorable yet understated.” It was light on the veggies! There was this sense that something was missing — maybe it lacked the garnish of bean sprouts, nori, or grated garlic. But sometimes simple is good too! Let’s give it a taste before we judge~~
After all, this was my first time trying a shoyu-based ramen (or should I say something like Kitakata-style ramen?). Right from the first bite I noticed it really didn’t taste the way I’d imagined. I was expecting that “garlic soy sauce” flavor you dip dumplings in, but the first thing that hit the back of my throat was the sweet, mellow note of soy sauce — a taste I’d never experienced before. That said, I feel like the novelty wore off pretty quickly, and what was left instead was this gripping sensation at the back of my throat, like someone gently squeezing it, which kept making me want to drink water. Honestly, the experience wasn’t all that great.
Because of that, I couldn’t really savor everything else carefully — I just kept wondering, so this is what a shoyu broth tastes like? How does anyone enjoy this?? But now, writing this post, I think I’ve finally put my finger on the crux of the problem! It was missing that sense of the flavor shifting and evolving. The whole bowl of soup was just a bit too one-note, with no real variation, and soy sauce isn’t exactly a flavor you can ignore — so by the second half of the bowl I couldn’t enjoy it properly anymore. If it’s your first time trying a soy-sauce-based ramen, you can try asking the shop for a little extra clear broth to mix in.
But aside from getting a bit cloying, every single topping was top-notch. The chashu is mostly lean meat, and each slice is intimidatingly huge — I was super satisfied after finishing it! The pickled bamboo shoots weren’t flavorless either. I also ordered a bowl of chashu rice, which overall leaned a touch on the salty side — well… more accurately, the saltiness was unevenly distributed, so I’d suggest mixing the toppings through to get a more even bite.
Alright! Time to wrap up! If you’re not super used to shoyu ramen, or you prefer mild Taiwanese-style flavors, my advice is to give it a try first, and if it still doesn’t sit right with you, add a bit of clear broth. I’m sure that once you get that first taste of soy sauce’s sweet, mellow note, you’ll end up impressed by this bowl — maybe even fall in love with it. And if your budget allows, please, please order the loaded-up SP, or you’ll regret it!