丿貫 （ヘチカン ） (Hechikan Kannai)

Kannai is an area that I have written about many times because it is saturated with ramen shops. Both chains and independent shops can be found in every nook of Kannai. Hechikan is a popular independent shop only open for lunch. On a rainy weekday holiday I stood in line to try Hechikan's famed anchovy ramen. It's good that there was a line, because across from a soapland, Hechikan looks like someone's home. There is nothing but a wood slab sign, propping open the door, to indicate its existence:

After entering a dimly lit counter seating area you may order from the limited menu. Limited menus are great because it shows that a shop specializes in one or two flavors. I ordered the anchovy ramen with seasoned quail eggs as an additional topping:

Hechikan's soup is a briny mouth of anchovy flavor and a tad too alkaline. The best of the bowl are their deli sliced rare pork, and firm delicious noodles. Pepper would have been a nice addition, but sadly it was missing from the counter. For a brackish broth, but nice noodles Hechikan gets a 3.5/5.

Map and, the shop's personal blog, tabelog, and fb page ;)

らーめん森や (Moriya Hongodai)

Somewhere between Totsuka and Hongodai you will find Moriya. Rated within the top 10 of shops within Kanagawa, is it worth a bus trip?

If a ramen shop could be my spirit animal it would be Moriya. A cozy interior decorated with mushrooms and penguins, yes please. The two person staff is also super friendly and eager to help. I ordered Shoyu Chashuwantonmen. What makes Moriya special are their locally sourced ingredients. Everything they make originates from small farms in the countryside of Japan.

This is a great bowl of shoyu. Wantons were juicy with just the right amount of salt. I found the mushroom to be slightly extraneous, but other than that everything else was in succinct harmony, including a perfect egg. Delectable and smokey base with thin, but not too soft noodles gives Moriya a 5/5. Take the trek, it's worth it.

Map, Moriya's homepage, and the tabelog :D

麺やBar 渦 (Menya Bar Uzu Honkugenuma)

One stop from Shonan beach you will find a top rated ramen shop and bar. Like an oasis rising from an otherwise residential stop on the Odakyu line, Menya Bar appears.

Inside this ramen bar oasis is a friendly relaxed atmosphere offering both bar and table seating as well as a some traditional Japanese seating in the back. A humble ramen shop this is not. Offering imported beer and full dinner and lunch menu options, Menya Bar has something for everyone. On my lunch visit I ordered their current special, a cold soy milk ramen and a beer set.

Their lunch beer set came with 3 small salads: whitebait, maitake and okra, and a spicy tuna salad. All delicious and refreshing. The cold soy milk ramen was topped with cucumber, a tan tan style ground beef, clams, and chili oil. If served warm this might have been a winner, but the congealed ground beef and cold soy milk broth made for a strange unappealing texture and taste. I was determined to try again, and again I did. But this time I wanted their take on shoyu.

Possibly the best chashu that has ever melted in my mouth tops this complex bowl of shoyu. At Menya Bar they use a mixture of chicken stock, sea salt, and two kinds of shoyu to complete a sophisticated unique flavor. Everything else was just right rounding out Menya Bar at a 4.5/5 for a dubious special and a superb staple.

Tabelog, website, and a map :D