<figure id="attachment_372789" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-372789"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b744d2b7"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/05/25cbf5d0792bf6082317f3dfa4a5a7cd.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-372789" class="wp-caption-text">A bowl topped with a generous layer of back fat for the finishing touch. Cage facilities are also provided in the store for pet owners to leave their pets.</figcaption></figure>
&#8220;Anyone who tries our ramen becomes a repeat customer without fail!&#8221;
So says Punk Machida (55), a zoologist who&#8217;s a frequent face on television. In April of this year, he opened the ramen restaurant &#8220;Ramen Gorji&#8221; in Asahi City, Chiba Prefecture.
&#8220;I&#8217;ve always loved ramen and wanted to try my hand at it myself. Actually, I ran a ramen shop about ten years ago, but since I cooked outdoors, the heat intensity varied depending on how the wind blew, and I couldn&#8217;t achieve the desired quality. This time, I built the entire shop from scratch.&#8221;
The signature dish, &#8220;Gorji Ramen&#8221; (¥1200), is limited to 50 servings per day, which is attributed to Machida&#8217;s commitment to quality.
&#8220;We use only SPF pork from Sangen pigs for the soup, and we carefully select the meat and bones, so we can&#8217;t obtain any more raw materials. Some ramen shops claim to use &#8216;pork bone soup&#8217; but actually add fish powder or vegetables, but we only use pork bones. It&#8217;s freshly butchered, so it&#8217;s fresh and rich in collagen. Our quality sets us apart from others!&#8221;
With a confident expression, Machida placed his meticulously crafted bowl in front of the reporters. Toppings include roasted pork, bamboo shoots, egg, and simplicity. Taking a sip of the soup, which is accentuated by the back fat, reveals a rich umami flavor of pork bone and a sharp soy sauce taste that spreads throughout the mouth, surprisingly leaving a refreshing aftertaste. It&#8217;s understandable why Machida proudly boasts that customers come from all over the country.
Could ramen made by a man who knows animals inside out be worth a try?
<figure id="attachment_372785" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1526px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-372785"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6cb84c72"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/05/5750e39a2526642c0023c5642c4480c2.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-372785" class="wp-caption-text">The store is operated by Machida under &#8220;Ultimate Animal City&#8221;. There&#8217;s a sealion nearby!</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_372786" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1667px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-372786"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="13de62ad"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/05/59583183d5856199fa59be13bd2d28f2.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-372786" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished Photo: Zoologist Punk Machida Opens Ramen Shop Limited to 50 Servings a Day &#8211; &#8220;We&#8217;re Absolutely Focused on the Pork Bone Broth!&#8221;</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_372787" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-372787"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ed5b6e95"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/05/c81fd69021e8bcbac95119f3525e05f7.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-372787" class="wp-caption-text">Exclusive Unpublished Shot: Zoologist Punk Machida Opens Ramen Shop Limited to 50 Servings a Day – &#8220;We&#8217;re Absolutely Focused on the Pork Bone Broth!&#8221;</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_372788" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-372788"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b4498f00"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/05/eb354de8735108fed8f32a7e219790a8.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-372788" class="wp-caption-text">Exclusive Unpublished Shot: Zoologist Punk Machida Opens Ramen Shop Limited to 50 Servings a Day – &#8220;We&#8217;re Absolutely Focused on the Pork Bone Broth!&#8221;</figcaption></figure>
From the May 24, 2024 issue of FRIDAY
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 Takayuki Ogawauchi

 Animal researcher Punk Machida opened the ramen restaurant "Ramen Gorji" in Asahi City, Chiba Prefecture, this April! A FRIDAY reporter tasted the "Gorji Ramen," which is limited to 50 servings a day! The pork ramen made by a man who knows all about animals tastes...

Limited to 50 Servings: Punk Machida’s Ramen Shop Unveils Tonkotsu Obsession

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