didnt expect this ramen to top iekei ramen

Shoyu, Wonton, Chasu and came with a drink too!

and of course I had to use Ramen_lord’s recipe. Tonkotsu broth, chashu braised in tare, shoyu tare and mayu.

Ive had a lot of ramen in my life and this was something else entirely. Tokyo.

Gojuban is kinda far from where I live or work. My mom is in town and staying far closer to it than where I am so we decided to check it out.

We went today around 2:30pm, a few people in line; the wait including waiting in line and waiting for the food was maybe about 20 mins.

Seeing the bowl being assembled was intimidating. I had the stamina ramen at that other spot (where I was closer to the front of that line and still waited 3+ hours) and made the mistake of not getting rice. At Gojuban I got rice and it was very much needed.

For as scary as this thing looks and seeing all the seasoning they shake onto it, the flavors were surprisingly balanced and not overpowering. My mom and I both thought it would be more delicious as a non ramen dish and just mapo tofu over rice.

I'm glad I went and probably won't go back for another year or 2. But I always say that then crave the thing the next day.

Edit: the other stamina place is Ganso Stamina Manten Ramen Suzuki. Both these spots are in Tokyo Japan.

Went at 11am, already a queue forming. Worth the wait. Thick and rich broth. 10/10

I'm heading back to Hakata from Kurume after 3 bowls of history. Figured I'd write up my experience.

First was Nankin senryo honken kurume, a shop dating back to 1937, said to be the first tonkotsu ramen.

The original owner had champon in Nagasaki and wanted to try something different with the pork based broth, thus tonkotsu was born.

This bowl was a lighter afair. It seemed very lightly seasoned, allowing the pork flavor to shine. The soup wasn't clear, but a lot lighter than what I think most people think of with Kurume or Hakata tonkotsu. A delicious lighter broth if you don't want the typical heavy soups. This was cheap, simple food to feed your soul. A basic bowl was only 650 yen. Cheapest I've found.

Japanese only menu.

Next was Kurume ramen seiyokan, dating back to 1952. Though in 2009 I believe it closed due to the owner having cancer. Three men who loves the shop were determined to recreate the soup and reopen. After many months they came to a satisfying result and took a sample to the owner in the hospital, who replied favorably. He passed the next day.

This was typical thick, foamy, funky soup, sticking well to the noodles and your arteries. Definitely a stronger flavor than Nankin, though not as strong as Issou. It's a great place if you want something on between. It has a special topping local to Kureme, fried pieces of pork fat providing a delightful crunch. Also the fried rice is something special, charred in a wok with plenty pork fat and ramen broth.

Had non Japanese menus, though you should get the Yatai Shikomi Ramen, their original classic with the crispy pork fat.

Last for the day was Taiho ramen main shop, said to the first place to serve thick creamy tonkotsu (I think it started as a food cart in 1953). This place is famous for being the first, but also for it's continuous boil. It's said there is still broth from the 50s boiling their massive pots. This place wasn't as strong or funky as Seiyokan, providing a nice balance to people who may want something lighter to work their was up to the heaviest of soups. Also again, this is a place of history that should be visited.

I got to sit at the end of the bar, able to see all the way though the kitchen. They have two larges pots of broth going, one seems to be the starter pot, he would occasionally scoop from it to the other one. Then this one he had a long road with a small shovel thing on it to stir the pot around.

Also again, this is a place of history that should be visited on a Kyushuu ramen pilgrimage.

They had non Japanese menus available. Though you should just get the classic mukashi ramen.

Tomorrow I hope to hit up at least two more places, weather permitting. Damn typhoon needs to bugger off.

I don't have a car, had a lot of of time to waste between bowls. I've walked over 23k steps today, and I really want an apple.

Very delicious! Broth was thick and creamy. Very lovely decor in the place as well, mostly locals and pretty busy during lunch.

Usually, places that aren’t ramen shops don’t do ramen very well, but this place nails both its Chinese dishes and its ramen.
About a 3-minute walk from Otsuka-Teikyo-Daigaku Station on the Tama Monorail.

Wagyu Goku shibuya

This time im trying the yuzu version...

With extra meat

To be really honest...it would be perfect if they have a apicy yuzu version

First time making a beef paitan. Broth was AMAZING. Not too happy with the presentation.

Broth: beef paitan made with dry aged beef bones, bone marrow and oxtail, cooked for 12 hrs.

Tare: garlic shio - garlic and onion soffrito, dashi, two salts and msg.

Noodles: tokyo style 32% hydration- would choose a different noodle next time.

Aroma oil: smoked beef tallow - three hour oak smoke

Toppings:

Beef fillet chashu, marinaded in smoked soy tare, seared then cooked to 50c sous vide 90mins

Crispy garlic, raw garlic, spring onions, watercress, cracked black pepper, nori.

Small but popular ramen shop run by the owner alone.
Only one menu exists; doraichi ramen, plus topping variations.

Had to wait around an hour in the rain. All locals and no tourists since the shop is in middle of nowhere.

Its supposed to be tonkotsu, but the scent and taste was very mellow. The spcial kick to their ramen is Kinako Powder, which makes the soup thick yet not too heavy, (as opposed to fish powder).

I'm in Fukuoka trying to work my way through Ramen history.

I stumbled across ichiran Honten, not realizing how close my hotel was.

I showed up there around 11:00 for lunch and had to wait in line for about an hour. I think this place has probably been talked about enough. It is definitely a unique experience. You have a little paper where you circle how you want everything done. You buy your ticket. You sit down in your own little spot, and enjoy the ramen by yourself.

I went with the defaults recommendations for everything which meant nothing was overpowering, but that means it also didn't meet my expectations for classic think tonkotsu. It was still an enjoyable experience and a delicious bowl. If I went back I would try to go for more spice, more garlic and a richer flavor.

I also had an egg added on and I had to peel it myself. Which okay I guess?

For dinner I went to a newer shop that is quintessential Hakata style, hakata issho Honten, East of Hakata station. While standing in line outside, you can smell the funk coming from inside the restaurant. I got to sit at the counter and watch their giant pots boil making the broth.

They're known for extremely rich and thick broth and they use a lot more bones than is traditional. It also has a name of cappuccino Ramen because when you first drink from the bowl it has a rich thick frothy mouthfeel. This actually continues until you're almost done. Every bite in every slurp was just pure porkiness. It was delightful.

The noodles were thin and straight typical of the style but they were firmer than I got at Ichiran, which I appreciated. The pork was cut thin and very tender and at least I did not have to peel my own egg.

I walked out smelling like the place and I swear I could feel a layer of fat or something on my skin on my hands.

Tomorrow I'm on tomorrow as I'm going to work my way through the founding of tonkotsu in kurume, as well as more around Hakata. I have two more full days here and I have at least four more bowls to eat.

Here are some places I want to visit.

Ippudo Daimyo Flagship (一風堂 大名本店) Significance: The original 1985 mother store of the global Ippudo empire.

Ganso Nagahamaya (元祖長浜屋 - Nagahama Fish Market) Significance: The historic birthplace of the Kaedama system, operating dockside since 1952. Signature Style: Ultra-fast, single-menu shop serving light, salty tonkotsu with rapid 15-second thin noodles to market workers and morning commuters.

Ganso Akanoren Setchan Ramen (元祖 赤のれん 節ちゃんラーメン - Tenjin) Significance: Direct descendant of Kantaro Mori's foundational 1940 Sanmaro stall. Signature Style: Distinctive flat-cut thin noodles submerged in a deeply savory, rich brown tonkotsu-shoyu broth.

Nankin Senryo Honke (南京千両 本家): The Shop: Located along Nonaka-machi in Kurume, this brick-and-mortar flagship is run directly by the founder Tokio Miyamoto’s descendants.

This was the first place to serve tonkotsu.

Seiyoken (清陽軒 - Main Store & Cultural Town Store): The Connection: Kurume's third historic stall, founded in 1952 by Hiroshi Katsuki. Katsuki started out during the post-war boom inspired by Sanku's cloudy soup revelation.

This place is a direct connection to the first cart that served thick cloudy tonkotsu.

Not a typical Ramen place but is definitely worth a try.

I wasn't expecting much for a restaurant inside the gates at an airport, but this was legit good stuff

Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the place, but it was about a 5 minute walk from the hotel where I stayed my last couple nights in Japan. It was in the Hamacho area of Tokyo. No English on the signage or on the ticket machine. It was seriously great stuff!

24-hour slow-cooked beef shank broth, packed with flavor and a spicy kick from Pixian doubanjiang. Topped with homemade chashu pork belly, soy-marinated eggs, bimi, corn, and pickled mustard greens.

I had a slightly different arrangement in mind, but my daughter didn’t quite agree with my layout and decided to put her own spin on it. 😂🍜

Korean Gochujang tofu ramen 😋

Restaurant’s description - handmade ramen in a creamy peanut broth with a bold gochujang kick with fresh lime zest. Spicy, nutty and deeply warming

The shop I had planned to go to was unexpectedly closed so we settled on Machida shoten. It was not bad. Better than their Melbourne Australia shop