Hyperlocal Tokyo

The Ginza location is a small shop with only about 10 counter seats, but there's always a line, even on weekdays, evenings, and late nights. It seems like mostly foreign customers. I don't like waiting in line, so I sometimes go at 11 am when they open. Before the ramen, they bring out a small cup of broth. It's a comforting sip. My favorite ramen is the salt ramen. The soup has a strong bonito broth flavor. If I have room in my stomach, I get the rice set and put the rice in the ramen after I finish to make a kind of tea-rice soup. They have crackers for the tea-rice soup on the counter, so you can add them if you like. It's one of those ramen dishes I'm willing to wait in line for.

I tried the simple dried bonito salt (¥1,000). They offered a taste of the broth first, but it was a bit underwhelming and tasted like a pre-made product. I wondered why they bothered offering a taste test. (It didn't seem completely natural and probably had additives. I didn't actually see the ingredients, so I can't be sure. This is just my personal opinion.) The soup wasn't bad... (but it wasn't particularly good either). When I ate it with the noodles, I thought, 'Hmm...?' I couldn't really taste the soup? It didn't seem to blend well? The noodles were medium-thick, hand-rolled, and curly, but they had a smooth texture and not much wheat flavor. The soup had a kind of 'pre-made' feel, hard to explain, but to exaggerate, it felt like a chain restaurant's 'standard flavor.' Also, both staff members seemed unmotivated, and they talked amongst themselves a lot, which wasn't a pleasant experience for a customer. If they had greeted me warmly and then been friendly with each other, it would have been charming. (When I see places like this, I wonder why they chose to work in customer service.) It's not a place I'd want to go back to.

I visited around 11 pm on a weekday. I expected it to be crowded with people catching the last train, but half the customers were foreigners. There were many Koreans and Chinese. The staff, including foreign staff, skillfully guided customers to the counter for meals, so even though there was a line, we were able to get in faster than expected. I had the special grilled bonito salt ramen, which was quite a large portion. I couldn't finish everything, including the rice porridge at the end. The ramen itself had a delicious broth with a roasted aroma that spread in my mouth. It was salty, but it had a surprisingly light flavor. The noodles were curly and chewy, and they went well with the salty soup.

I visited around 2:30 PM on a weekday. A foreign family was in front of the ticket machine, struggling to decide what to order. I took advantage of the opportunity and purchased my ticket before entering. The restaurant was almost full, but I managed to find a seat. I ordered the special grilled bonito salt ramen with a rice tea set. The ramen featured two types of char siu: pork belly and roast pork, along with a soft-boiled egg. The noodles had a nice texture, with a distinct square shape. The salt-based bonito broth was strong, perfect for the rice tea at the end. It was delicious! Thank you for the meal. 😋 Due to the location, there were many foreign tourists. Perhaps due to cultural differences in food etiquette, I noticed some people eating the noodles without slurping. I couldn't help but think they were missing out on the joy of slurping ramen. 😆

I visited Yakiago Shio Ramen Takahashi Ginza. I arrived around 1:00 PM on a weekday. There were about 10 people waiting, but the turnover rate was high, and I was seated after about 20 minutes. Be aware that you need to purchase a ticket from the vending machine before joining the queue. It seemed like the people ahead of me hadn't bought tickets yet. After entering, they served a small cup of broth. It was a nice touch to warm up the stomach. This time, I ordered the classic Yakiago Shio Ramen. It felt easier to eat than a niboshi (dried sardine) ramen. The soup had a rich flavor and deep umami, and the aftertaste was surprisingly clean. They offered wasabi as a condiment, and when I tried it, it added a fragrant flavor. Many people seemed to be ordering the ochazuke (green tea rice) set, and I can see why, as it would definitely go well with the soup. The toppings were also excellent. Overall, I think it's a very satisfying and original ramen. I will definitely visit again if I'm in the area. Highly recommended.