Kokoro (Tokyo-to, Ota-ku)

麺屋 こころ
めんやこころ
Menya Kokoro

Shio Mazemen: 17 / 20
(塩まぜそば)

Continuing my soupless-ramen run, after a couple of abura soba, it was time for some mazemen. I was not far from Oookayama (yes, there are three ‘o’s), which happens to be a surprisingly rich area in high quality ramen – or maybe not that surprisingly, as it is just next to a campus of Tokyo Tech university. I chose to go to Menya Kokoro, which specializes in mazesoba. Their specialty is a spicy Taiwan mazemen, but both my stomach and my curiosity were suggesting me to turn instead to a rare shio mazemen (I had already eaten an excellent Taiwan mazemen at Marusho in Osaka).

Noodles: Thick and relatively soft - but despite my preference for firm noodles, I must admit that it fitted well with the rest of the ingredients when mixed.

Meat: A few dices of braised meat, with a lot of fat – but a deliciously, melting fat! One of the highlights of the bowl.

Toppings: Some crunchy, sesame-flavored thin slabs of menma, a little bit of katsuo-powder, some bits of nori, some negi that was also flavored with sesame, some mitsuba. You can also add  garlic.

Once mixed, this changed into a very pleasant mix. Adding laiu (spicy oil) is very much recommended. You should really mix it very thoroughly - and several times - when you are eating, as some essential ingredients like the garlic or the pepper have a tendency to fall down into the bowl (you can borrow a spoon to finish it to the last drop!). Overall, this was excellent, and very original. Next time, I won’t miss their Taiwan mazesoba.

More info on ramendb.

Kirari (Kyōto-shi, Fushimi-ku)

つけ麺 きらり
つけめん きらり
Tsukemen Kirari

Shio-ton Ramen: 18 / 20
(塩とんらぁめん)

We were supposed to meet with my family in Kyoto's southern Fushimi area for a sake-trip, but they were delayed and I was hungry, so I waited at a nearby ramen-place which looked good. Gosh, what a great idea! This shop specializes in tsukemen, but I was more in a ramen mood, and wanted to try their rare shio-tonkotsu ramen - which I ordered with some additional nori.

Broth: A very thick but delicious broth of tonkotsu - one can actually feel the texture of bone grains at times - with some veggie aftertaste. It sticks so much to the nooodles that it felt like a tsukemen!

Noodles: Slightly soft, but well, we are in Kyoto. I must admit that this fitted well with the broth.

Meat: A few delicious slices of peppery, delicious chashu that kind of tasted like roastbeef.

Egg: Half an egg is included in the regular ramen, so it’s not necessary to order any more. And I must say that this egg is a model, with its melting yolk (but hard enough not to fall into the soup), and a white part infused with strong flavors.

Toppings: Some fibrous menma, with a mild but good taste - more similar to fresh bamboo than to preserved one. The nori sheets I ordered fitted extremely well with the broth and the meat. There were even some fresh garlic you could crush inside the broth.

This is the best Kyoto-style ramen I ever ate - actually, there are many twists compared to the classical Kyoto-style bowl so I'm not sure I could categorize it as such. It was a bit similar to Gokkei in Ichijoji, but whereas the latter was too thick for me, this one just had the highest level of thickness I can stand. It stayed hot quite long, a perfect winter dish that keeps you going.

Delicious, and if I was more into Kyoto ramen, I could have given it a 19 or maybe even a 20: this is flawless ramen - like Takakura Nijo, although in a very different style. Kyoto, home of ramen perfection?

More info on ramendb.