Shinatetsu Ramen Street

Hi everybody,

Now, there is one good thing to come of my repeated trips to the Immigration office over the last month.  And that's that I got to make multiple visits to Shinatetsu Ramen in Shinagawa--a conglomeration of seven well-known ramen chains within one block

Oh yeah, it's as awesome as you're imagining

Tucked underneath the train tracks, there's no good way to get a picture

These picture were taking mid-afternoon.  Around lunchtime, the lines are waaay longer

Now, a quick explanation:  Ramen is an incredibly varied cuisine.  Although the texture and thickness of the noodles varies, as well as the assortment of the toppings, the main focus of each unique shop is its broth.  With just a few exceptions, ramen broth falls into four categories:

• Tonkotsu, pork bone based broth.  Rich and flavorful.  Though originally from Kyushu (the Southwest region of Japan), this is by far the most popular broth here in Tokyo
• Shoyu, soy sauce based broth.  Strong flavor but light texture.  Originally the style most popular in Tokyo, it's still very popular probably because it's the easiest to make at home
• Shio, salt based broth.  The lightest broth, with the subtlest of flavors.  Despite the name, not particularly salty--this is simply the name for the lightest of broths, allowing a much more subtle expression of flavors.  Probably because those softer flavors take more skill to acheive this is one of the least common and least popular broths
• Miso, erm . . . miso based broth.  Thick and hearty.  My personal favorite, although very difficult to find here in Tokyo.  Originally from Hokkaido, way up North, which actually is where my family is from so I guess that explains it

Without further ado, here have been my experiences so far at Shinatetsu:

Maybe my favorite, black miso ramen from Keisuke.  Charred bamboo, as well as a blend of  spices, give this a bold savory flavor.  The thicker noodles (traditional to Hokkaido) match with the hearty broth perfectly

A nice surprise, traditional chicken broth--basically a tonkotsu ramen, but with chicken bones instead.  Cleaning the borth repeatedly gives it that pale white color and an incredibly light flavor.  Add in a topping of roasted chicken (makes me a bit homesick) instead of the traditional pork, and this was totally unexcpected and delicious

Very traditional tonokotsu ramen from Nansutei.  The straight, thinner noodles are also traditional to Kyushu.  I did mix it up, however, but going with the topping set of raw onions and braised pork--the brightness of the onions was a really great contrast to the heavy broth

Switching things up, a tsukemen--dipped ramen, where the noodles are served separate from the broth and dipped in as you eat.  The broth is a shio, very very light.  This allows them to accentuate their choice of added flavor, in this case umeboshi, Japanese salted plum.  Light flavor, slightly sweet slightly sour, with some earthy sesame seeds floating on top to tie it together.  Absolutely a winner

And there we have it!  This is of course only the barest subsection of the world of ramen.  I hope to be able to update you all on some more different kinds soon!  But if you're in Tokyo and you want to see as many different types of ramen in one place, Shinatetsu is not a bad place to be . . .

Of *course* there's a gift shop

Noah out