Hyperlocal Tokyo

One of the 'Four Heavenly Kings' of ramen chain stores in my book (Aoba, Tenka Ippin, Ippudo, Santouka). I appreciate their commitment to the street-stall facade. The originator of the double soup, combining meat and seafood broths. Today, I ordered the tsukemen (dipping noodles). And the yuzu chili pepper (the one in Kichijoji had more, though...). Aoba doesn't offer extra things like extra chashu (pork), alcohol, or anything else. Just ramen or tsukemen, special or not, large or not. But even with the passage of time, delicious things remain delicious.

I visited on a Monday evening and was able to get in without waiting! It's located right outside the north exit of Kinshicho Station, inside the station building. The shop is compact with about 10 counter seats. I ordered the tsukemen for 880 yen. The rich seafood flavor hits you hard! The noodles are medium-thin, but they have a good bite and are smooth, making them a delight to eat! (The noodles don't stick together when served, so they're easy to eat!) They accept Suica, have divine aprons, and if you ask the staff, they'll give you yuzu pepper. Definitely try it for a flavor change!

We finally went to Ramen Aoba again, fulfilling our child's request. This was our first time at the Kinshicho location, and it's conveniently located near the station. We were starving, so we ordered the special large portion. The special large portion of Chinese-style ramen was 1,200 yen. We paid with our Suica cards for two portions. The music playing was a bit of a mystery - 90s J-Pop, but old and quite loud. The ramen itself was flavorful, though on the heavier side, but the music didn't match the ramen at all, making it feel noisy and a bit of a shame. The flavor was strong. We ate at the counter behind the curtain, and there were several women dining alone. Our child also ordered the special large portion, but unfortunately, they left a lot of it uneaten, which was disappointing. We left feeling a bit let down.

Well, it was just average. The price was cheap. I went in around 11 am on a Sunday at the end of May 2024. There were five other customers inside. Is Kinshicho an artsy town? There were a lot of artsy people. However, this department store basement-like location is not very relaxing. When I entered, I heard a foreigner's voice saying, "Irasshaimase!" Yes, yes, diversity is good. I chose the top left option, the "Chuka Soba" for 830 yen. It's cheap these days, isn't it? I'm looking forward to it. I handed over the ticket and observed the store for a while. Hmm... This is my first time at Aoba, but it feels like a ramen shop in SA, you know? The smell of the bamboo shoots and the kan-sui is the same. They're draining a lot of noodles in a big strainer. ... I don't think they can serve them evenly. There's bound to be some variation. The background music is Aiko Otsuka and Southern All Stars, targeting the current generation of 40-somethings. It was a good time for the music industry. It was Morning Musume who broke it, wasn't it? I was thinking about that when my ramen arrived. Well... I'm sorry. It was just average. The noodles were average. The toppings were narutomaki, bamboo shoots, and char siu. The char siu was the old-fashioned kind, thoroughly cooked. The soup was a chicken-based broth with a hint of bonito, also average. Well, it's not bad for the price.

I had the special Chinese-style ramen. It came with char siu pork, a soft-boiled egg, and bamboo shoots as standard, and I also received a complimentary serving of yuzu chili peppers from the staff. Even though it's a chain restaurant, it's a well-crafted dish. The chicken and pork double broth coats the noodles perfectly, and the portion size is just right, not too much and not too little. It's delicious, but if I were to be picky, it's a bit too well-rounded and feels a bit ordinary. The staff member was foreign, and while they were generally fine, they didn't clear the table next to me even though it was empty for a while. They did come by to clean up between customers, but they used a spray bottle to clean the neighboring seat while I was eating, which made a loud 'pssh' sound and was a bit distracting.