鶏喰 （～TRICK～）(Niwatori Trick Yokohama)

Recently Tabelog (kind of like the Yelp of Japan) announced its top 50 selection of ramen shops. One stood out right away because of an English word: Trick. Was it a trick? What did this mean? There were too many questions for me to answer. On the very next day,m after reading the list, I noticed an instant ramen in the local Family Mart of the same name! Were my eyes playing tricks on me? I hastily bought the instant ramen and thought that it was pretty good. This experience intrigued me. I made my mind up to visit Trick as soon as possible.

Open from 11-2 and then again for dinner at 6, I thought my best bet was to try to go on a weekday during lunch. There was still a line of people waiting outside on a rather chilly February day, but I diligently waited to try Trick's ramen. They have been in the top 50 for a few years and proudly display their awards in the window for the waiting patrons to see:

How exciting! Offering both shio and shoyu flavors with their signature chicken meatball and 3 kinds of meat, Trick is certainly a unique shop. It is also quite small with a hightop counter and one table that was most likely an after thought due to their popularity. I ordered the shio and sat watching chef Noboru Nishigaki work his magic. In fluid movements olive oil was placed in bowls, meatballs and dumplings were transformed into toppings, eggs were cut with string, and just like that it was over. A tall bowl of shio ramen was placed in front of me:

Topped with one slice of red onion, thinly sliced negi, nori, roast beef, pork, chicken, a chicken meatball, a wonton, an egg, and baby greens, Trick's bowl is no joke. It is a bowl bustling with flavors. Is that rosemary on the chicken? Yes. Is there olive oil in the wonton? Yes. Each element brought its own flavor. The noodles were also a standout here.

A light and thin buck wheat cooked on the softer side really held the shio for a satisfying slurp. I confirmed with Chef Noboru Nishigaki that what I had tasted was correct and he was all too happy to answer me. He also complimented me on my slurping skills. Trick serves up a friendly atmosphere and a truly unique bowl of ramen. If you ever find yourself in Kannai take a walk down the road and visit Trick. 5/5 

Twitter, facebook, tabelog, a link to the top 50 Ramen Shops, and as always the map!

瞠 恵比寿店 (Miharu Ebisu)

Ebisu is a stylish area within about a 15 minute walk to Shibuya. Going there for a day and wandering around window shopping is highly recommended. After a day of exploring you may be hungry and in the mood for ramen. I know I usually am! I was there just yesterday visiting with friend having a few beers at Yebisu Yokochu, a transformed enclosed alley featuring many smaller shops hocking beer, oden, yakitori and amongst other foods. We got there a little too early, but I would like to return when it is bustling with people! After the beer I wanted ramen so off we went to Miharu Ebisu. To keep in step with its trendy surroundings Miharu is a sleek shop with a wooden counter, jazz music, and limited toppings, which for some reason, include Tabasco sauce. Their staff, dressed in black is a little too serious for me, but I bought my ticket and took a seat. This is a fish based ramen and I chose the standard with an egg. However it seems that their most popular dish is their 油そば (fatty soba). I regret nothing! But if I return I would like to try this dish packed with toppings and noodles:

Out came my ramen as sleek as the shop itself. No bells and whistles here. Just nori, a thick slice of chashu, green onion, menma, and an egg:

This is the correct amount of menma, unless otherwise requested! Base was a nice, but fairly standard bonito, populated by firm noodles. There are no complaints, but no particular praises here at Miharu. Egg and chashu cooked perfectly but both cold. I tried the Tobasco, a first for me at a ramen shop, and it was interesting, but not something I would do on a regular basis. This is a solid bowl of ramen but not a spectacular one. I also felt like the staff was a little cold if not rude. Overall Miharu is a 3.5/5.

Tabelog, twitter, and as always a map!

つけ麺 櫻坂 (Sakura Zaka)

On a cold February evening, there is nothing better to lift one's spirits than hunting for ramen. A friend and I did just that in the Shibuya area the other night. So this makes this another double review! I have written about Shibuya before, and in the more popular areas there are many chain shops, but we were after something different. Something off the beaten path. My friend uses an app to find good ramen called ramen map! Technology is so exciting. This is how we located Sakura Zaka. The red pin on the map indicated that it is a popular shop. In we went. A cozy, familiar interior that I associate with old style Japan was a welcome comfort from the cold.

There are three flavor options at Sakura Zaka, miso, shio, and fish. My friend decided on the fish and I decided on the shio. Each of us chose the option that came with extra chashu and egg. I was delighted to learn each came with an egg and a half!

Both came topped with ample amounts of negi and chashu hiding just below the surface. On the left is the shio and the right is the fish. Both seasoned and rich in flavor, our only complaint was that we felt that the base was on the slightly oily side (not the best for either shio or fish ramen, after all, we weren't expecting tonkotsu). That is a detractor for some and a plus for others. Though cold, the chashu was cooked perfectly and falling apart in the stock. A+ there! But another hidden surprise was the menma, You can see it in the shio bowl right next to the egg. I don't really enjoy menma and so that much in my ramen (there was really a lot) was a slight detractor. Condiments available were only pepper and chili pepper flakes, though I think the flavor was quite good on its own merits. I would have like some sesame though! For me Sakura Zaka is a solid 4/5, a great egg and chashu, but too much menma and grease.

Link and a Map!

OH NO

Hello to anyone that enjoys my blog. I accidentally erased a lot of pictures and so I have to spend some time to recover them from the various places I have them saved. I didn't know my phone was linked to my blog. I think the cloud screwed me. Please bear with me while I try to recover the pictures for the blog.

Thanks!

Natalie

鶏そば 三歩一 (Torisoba Sanpoichi)

Takadanobaba (Baba for short) is a ramen hub written about many times on many other ramen blogs, but I still haven't been able to explore the area properly. I was visiting a friend who attends Waseda this week and knew it was my perfect chance to try some of the ramen that Baba had to offer. But where to start?! There are an abundance of shops. However we were quite famished so the closer to the station the better and decided on 鶏そば 三歩一. Ok, so my Japanese, especially kanji reading skills are not the best so the rough translation for 鶏そば 三歩一 is Torisoba Sanpoichi If anyone has a better suggestion please let me know! As we were ordering a friendly staff member asked us if we needed any help. But we said we were OK and took a seat.

After we took our seats we noticed that this shop makes its own noodles. This is impressive, as I have been told that most shops order their noodles directly from companies after specifying the size and shape. It is indeed soba, but a soba that's so fine! The noodles really are a very good delicate buckwheat, techinically soba, but served ramen style. We watched the noodle making process while we waited for our bowls.

I ordered thick cut chicken with negi and green onion toppings as well as a side of egg noodles. I had to wait for my extra egg noodles to arrive, but it was totally worth it because I was able to dump them into my left over stock. I found that they had a richer flavor than the regular noodles and believe them to be the highlight at Chicken Soba. The base was light but not complex and slightly on the bland side, but I did really enjoy their thick chicken slices which were juicy, tender, and plentiful. I added some spice and felt a little more satisfied with the base. They certainly had a lot of fans waiting outside and so this kind of delicate stock must be a hit. But I think it's probably the egg noodles because I saw more than one serving go out! Torisoba gets a 4/5 because of a bland base balanced out by great chicken and a friendly atmosphere. I can't wait to visit more shops in the Baba area!

Tabelog and Map!