This is rated as the number one ramen place in Hiyoshi according to Tabelog, but before I knew that a friend of mine suggested going there. Going in I had no idea what to expect. My friend had described a tsukemen place where you cook your own soup and one of the options was curry. It was a curious description so before I had to run to my アルバイト last week I decided to check it out. This was a strategic move because Abisuke is usually packed when I walk by. The machine had many options, but I decided that I wanted to try the black sesame and I added an egg from the extra toppings available.
I took my seat and the only staff member working seemed a little annoyed at trying to explain what I should do with the hotplate in front of me. I assured him I was ok in the best Japanese that I could muster and turned on my hotplate when he brought my soup out. Initially I was not impressed by the cold soup, but as it cooked I was getting more interested. Stirring the bubbling soup I noted that the white chunks on top dissolved. I beleive they were corn starch because as they melted the soup became more viscous. Then my noodles arrived. They looked way more like udon than any tsukemen I have ever seen, but because of their thickness they held the soup quite well:
The black sesame had a nice salty flavor and, after adding pepper flakes, a desired level of spice. It was a very rich taste, wtih a texture you might expect from ground black sesame. Because of the thickness it was perfect for tsukemen, as it would have been way too heavy for any kind of "normal" ramen. What impressed me most was the egg! WOW! It was perfectly preseasoned and soft boiled, so the yolk ran out after I busted it open. They are probably able to keep them cold too because of the way the soup is served and individually cooked. INGENIOUS! Abisuke's pork wasn't all that impressive and I felt they could have done more with it. It was just a thick slab of meat swimming in the soup. They have a point card system and I plan on coming back to try the curry flavor. Overall because of the unimpressive pork and sort of unfriendly staff (I want to go back when it's more busy because this is based on only one guy helping me) Abisuke of Hiyoshi gets 4/5. There are other locations as well in Shinjuku, Sumiyoshi, and Higashiyamata.
Links to tabelog, their official site, and a map!
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