Edward's Excellent Ramen Reviews

6/10 Fried Chicken Ramen This is like crossing KFC with ramen. The chicken is very good quality and well fried. It's seasoned heavily though which I think is a bit much. The broth is pretty fishy and light. The noodles are good and thick, I like them. The menma is fine and the egg is marinated nicely, although not cut in half. We decided that tsukimen would be a better choice because the fried chicken gets soggy in the broth. I think this is certainly unique but the fishy broth let's it down for me. Regardless I'm not sure that fried chicken and ramen make a good combination but maybe I'm just a traditionalist. Menya Musashi Niten 1-chōme-2-4 Higashiikebukuro, Toshima City, Tōkyō-to 170-0013 03-6914-2634 https://maps.app.goo.gl/f831A6e1hE3DMHTU8

8/10 Ramen Museum - Rishiri Ramen Miraku The first thing I notice is the rich smell. The noodles are thick, firm and wavey and taste absolutely amazing. The broth is delicious. It's so rich and you can feel the fat on your lips. The meat is super fatty and falls apart in your mouth. The toppings are solid too. This is fantastic ramen but I don't think it would be an every day ramen for me. Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum 2-chōme-14-21 Shinyokohama, Kōhoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa-ken 222-0033 045-471-0503 https://maps.app.goo.gl/ 6TL3WgnL3ezVnP426

6/10 Ichiran This is my first time trying Ichiran. The first thing to note is the broth tastes more fishy than I've had before. The meat seems a little disappointing, like crappy slices of bacon. The egg is just a salted hard boiled egg, not marinated and not runny. The noodles are a solid average. I do like the privacy of the individual booths at Ichiran which does allow you to focus solely on your ramen. This is fine ramen but I wouldn't go mad for it. Ichiran Ikebukuro 1-chōme-39-11 Higashiikebukuro, Toshima City, Tōkyō-to 170-0013 03-3989-0871 https://maps.app.goo.gl/iKcP691PA6RL4Unh9

8/10 Lamb Ramen This is something else. There's lamb and pork. The lamb is amazing on ramen. The source is super creamy and there's a hint of mint which obviously goes down a treat with the lamb. I'd best describe this as combining a Sunday roast with ramen. A fantastic combination. The noodles are fantastic and don't let this unique ramen down. The egg is lovely as well. The pork is not like the usual marinated meat and more like a roast dinner. Overall this is very unique, very delicious ramen and shows off the cutting edge of Japanese ramen. MENSHO TOKYO 1-chōme-15-9 Kasuga, Bunkyo City, Tōkyō-to 112-0003 03-3830-0842 https://maps.app.goo.gl/13f3sVUwhEaixT6f8

8/10 More Osaka Ramen I don't want to stop eating to write this. It's spicy which I wouldn't normally go for but it's not too spicy and the broth is really delicious. The noodles are thin and firm, just the way I like them. The egg is a lovely deep red/orange and marinated really well. The only issue I have is that it's not cut in half. I believe cutting the egg in half makes a big difference as you get better yolk to white ratio. The vegetable toppings are good. Good thick pieces of meat. This is great ramen, would highly recommend. Ramen Makotoya Shinsaibashi 2-chōme-6-16 Shinsaibashisuji, Chūō-ku, Osaka, 542-0085 06-6484-2058 https://maps.app.goo.gl/ddN9xpbaKVKUwV218  

7/10 Osaka Jet Ramen This is very delicious light soy broth. There's plenty of slices of thin meat and they taste good too. The menma is very tasty but there's not much of it. The killer feature for me is the noodles. They're thicker than the ones I've being liking recently but they're firm which I do like. They are also extremely tasty noodles, a winning combination of thick and firm. 博多純系豚骨ラーメン まんかい 福島本家 〒553-0003 Osaka, Fukushima-ku, Fukushima, 7-chōme−13−11 1階 06-6346-3901 https://maps.app.goo.gl/rrUfLFY4aatkB3VN6

7/10 Kyoto Station Ramen Floor - Kitakata Super nice light broth. The meat is so fatty and melts in your mouth. The noodles are wavey which I think brings out the flavour of the broth. I especially like these noodles. The menma is very tasty too. Overall good ramen and great value for money. Would eat again. Ramen Todai 〒600-8216 Kyoto, Shimogyō-ku, Higashishiokōjichō, 塩小路下ル東塩小路町901番地 京都拉麺小路内 京都駅ビル10階 Karasuma-dori St 075-344-3802 https://maps.app.goo.gl/GC9SFnsgvWnbvx6c6

5/10 Kyoto Tower Basement Ramen This isn't great. The broth is soy and it's very salty. The meat and menma are poor. The noodles are fine. The egg is the best bit. I expected it not to be great and it lived up to expectations. Kyoto Tower 721-1 Higashishiokōjichō, Shimogyō-ku, Kyōto-shi, Kyōto-fu 600-8216 075-361-3215 https://maps.app.goo.gl/URpfzuYxeg3bTtyH6

7/10 Hakata Ramen Center This has the thin noodles I've come to love from our local ramen, but I'd prefer them a touch firmer. The broth is really light but flavourful. The meat is wafer thin but absolutely delicious, really well marinated. The egg is extremely marinated, if anything a bit too much. I also don't like that it's not cut in half, it makes it a bit awkward to eat. Hakata Ramen Center 1-chōme-8-7 Iidabashi, Chiyoda City, Tōkyō-to 102-0072 03-3263-1023 https://maps.app.goo.gl/CTX3GCTGgm9PuNcJ9

5/10 The Cheapest Ramen (?) Ever This is only 420 yen. I was expecting something very small but it's a decent size. The price is clearly derived from the quality of the ingredients and the no thrills aspect of this ramen. The meat is thinner than a sheet of paper. There's a lot of bean sprouts and they don't taste that great. Regardless this is fine ramen and you can't go wrong for the price. I'd take this over a MacDonalds if I want to eat on a budget. 中華食堂一番館 池袋サンシャイン60通り店 1-chōme-29-7 Higashiikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tōkyō-to 170-0013 03-5950-6777 https://maps.app.goo.gl/44oJbT8KRDwBzfQJ9

9/10 Mystery Joetsu Ramen Omg first thing to note is how fatty and greasy the soup is - it's amazing and full of pork flavour. The menma is really tasty and the egg is marinated perfectly. The meat is also delicious. The noodles taste great but my only complaint is that they're a little soft for my preference. This is absolutely banging, so fatty and unhealthy it makes any British greasy spoon seem like a salad bar. Amazing ramen. ニューハルピン 5-chōme-2-43 Chūō, Joetsu, Niigata 942-0001 025-543-3897 https://maps.app.goo.gl/u2wtd