Ikkei (Osaka-fu, Ibaraki-shi)

麺屋 一慶
めんや いっけい
Menya Ikkei

Shio ramen: 16 / 20

Ikkei looks like a high-tech kitchen that has just been finished the day before  – although it apparently exists since at least 2009. The large flat screen was the only jarring note in this elegant restaurant. I ordered their shio-ramen, but they also serve some highly praised shoyu ramen and tsukemen.

Broth: Intense in taste, kind of buttery, with a nice balance of fat and salt. Harmonious.

Noodles: Good noodles with a whole grain texture that definitely gives a special feel to them. They are easy to slurp, and break without difficulty in the mouth.

Meat: Very lean and strong in taste, it seemed kind of undercooked at places.

Toppings: A long, irregularly shaped menma, and some greens for a fresh touch.

All in all, this was a very balanced bowl – nothing revolutionary but a very good, well crafted harmony.

More info on ramendb.

Kinsei (Osaka-fu, Ibaraki-shi)

茨木きんせい
いばらぎきんせい
Ibaraki Kinsei

Niboshi shoyu ramen : 14 / 20
(煮干し醤油)

Having taken the wrong train, I ended up in Ibaraki-shi, about 20 kms from where I was supposed to stop. Although I had sworn to myself that this would not be one more ramen-day, the opportunity was too tempting and I had to transmute this slightly annoying incident into a great experience, by trying some local ramen before doubling back. I went to Kinsei, the most highly ranked ramen restaurant around Ibaraki-shi station - and in continuation with my Tokyo-trip, I ordered the niboshi-flavored shoyu-ramen (they also serve a niboshi shio ramen).

Broth: The shoyu and niboshi taste was pleasant but light (I wouldn't have recognized the niboshi inside).

Noodles: Nothing special here, classical straight noodles.

Meat: A couple of slices of a relatively fat, kind of OK chashu.

Egg: There was a very small egg – could it be quail egg ? Behind the crunchiness of the white part, the yolk exploded in the mouth. Quite good.

Toppings: Some long, white and strongly tasted negi. A few crunchy menma with a very light taste and some unknown notes.

So overall, this is a good ramen but I don't think it deserves to go out of one's own way – I find it a bit overestimated on ramendb. Kudos for the creative use of the quail egg, though.

More info on ramendb.