Kagari: Chicken Soup for the Ramen Lover's Soul (and, more literally, mouth and stomach)

Hi everybody,

Ok gather 'round.  Straight talk.  I may have a new favorite ramen place in Tokyo.  Maybe better than Mutekiya.  Maybe better than Kururi.  Maybe my favorite in town.  It's called Kagari, and it's something special

It's smack-dab in the middle of Ginza, Tokyo's high fashion district.  It's only been around for a few years, but they do it right.  They do it very, very, very right

Yes, down the alley past the Gucci store.  This may be the most Ginza thing ever

It's a cute little place, isn't it?  It'd be hard to find, if not for the line.  Fortunately, there's always a line

It goes down the alley . . .

. . . and around the corner

And that line is not messing around.  It doesn't move very quickly when there are only 8 seats inside.  It's not about a hurry

Cool little setting inside, right?  But we're not here for the ambiance.  We're here for the ramen.  There are a few things on the menu, but almost everybody gets the same thing:  Tori Paitan, a chicken-based broth that is very hard to find.  Possible because when you're working with such subtle flavors (no fatty pork or strong soy sauce taste to hide behind) you have to be pretty much perfect.  And these guys make it happen

Toppings:  Ginger and fried onion, just enough to give it some extra punch

(First of all, can we take note of the fact that they give you a super rich chicken-based broth . . . and then they give you grated ginger to dump in?  Just unfair--makes me want to get sick just so I can go down there and get cured instantly)

Noodles:  Medium thickness, cooked relatively soft.  Nothing to distract. Nothing but the soup

This broth is just awesome, no other word for it.  I know I overuse that word (I think it's my most-posted in facebook statuses), but seriously.  This broth inspires awe

It's like drinking a chicken made out of silk.  It's like your mouth is taking a bath in warm poultry goodness.  I swear, it's so rich and wonderful you think you can taste not only what's on your tongue but what's in your stomach as well.  I'm sorry, I know this paragraph is getting weird. It's getting really weird.  But the English language simply doesn't have sufficient adjectives for describing taste (someone needs to get on that).  So instead, I'm forced to resort to comparison and analogy

It's like your soup is giving you a hug, inside and out.  It's amazing

Noah out