Top 5 Most Delicious Ramen in the TokyoSelected from 800,000 Entries Revealed
A clean yet distinct umami flavor
It is estimated that there are more than 20,000 ramen stores throughout Japan, but they are extremely segmented in terms of soup base, noodle type, toppings, and even serving temperature. When searching for ramen stores online, you may often specify additional tastes in your search, such as “thick type”, “refreshing”, “pork bone soy sauce”, and so on.
In this issue, we will focus on “light” soy sauce ramen, which is becoming increasingly popular. “The JAPAN MENU AWARD”, a gourmet award sponsored by the gourmet community app SARAH, selects the best dishes from more than 800,000 submissions to the app, not by restaurant, but by menu, and presents its own awards.
A panel of Japan’s top judges, including celebrities well versed in each menu and genre and enthusiasts who have visited more than 3,000 restaurants, has been assembled to select the best dishes in each category.
Let us now introduce the top 5 “ramen light” dishes in the Tokyo metropolitan area, selected from the JAPAN MENU AWARD 2021 announced in January 2022, along with the Gourmet Masters’ evaluations (reviews in original).
(1)Oyadori Chinese Soba (Handmade Chicken Soba with Chicken), Ayagawa, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Gourmet Master Hideyuki Asaka comments
The name Ayagawa is said to come from a place in Kagawa Prefecture. I wonder if those familiar with Sanuki Udon are aware of this.
The photo shows Oyadori Chicken Soba noodles topped with Oyadori skin and a boiled egg from Nasu Goyou Tamago. There are two types of noodles to choose from, but if you like noodles, the extra-thick noodles are recommended. The fragrance of the golden chicken oil and the freshness of the amber soy sauce clear soup attack you. The slightly more fatty part is also a perfect match with the Aoitake handmade extra-thick noodles.
If I were to describe it roughly, it is as if the good points of Kasaoka ramen and Sano ramen were added together and divided by the new basic chicken bouillon ramen. This was delicious!
There used to be a saying that “Ebisu is where the ramen battle zone is,” and it seems to be having a revival. I look forward to seeing if this will become a trend in ramen in the future.
Handmade Chicken Chinese Soba Ayagawa
1-21-18 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
SARAH URL : https://sarah30.com/menus/2564642
(2)Chinese Soba (Chinese Soba Emoto), Meguro-ku, Tokyo
Gourmet Master Hirose’s comments
As soon as the bowl arrived at the table, the pleasant aroma of dried bonito flakes rose up in the air. The soup, which is a combination of mainly dried bonito and other ingredients, has no cloying taste and is very gentle. The umami is not sharp, and neither the soy sauce nor the fat is assertive, but each part is well-balanced and gradually seeps into your stomach.
Suddenly, I felt like I was having such a pseudo-experience … when I went into a restaurant in a country town in Tohoku, where I was not sure if it was a buckwheat noodle shop or a diner, and ate ramen. The pork chashu is pork belly and shoulder loin. Both of them are easy to eat because of their smooth fatty texture.
(Chinese Soba Emoto / Meguro-ku, Tokyo)
B1F Kitagami Building, 2-7-10 Kamimeguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
SARAH URL : https://sarah30.com/menus/2619780
(3) Niboshi Temomi Noodle (Menya Berabo / Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Gourmet Master Hirose’s Comment
The light broth is made from niboshi (dried sardines) and kombu (kelp), and does not contain animal broth. No animal broth is used. However, the base of the niboshi oil is lard, so you do not feel that it lacks punch. The combination of the stiff oil, onions, and soy sauce reminds one of Hachioji ramen.
Although the flavors are different, the soup is hot and does not easily cool down, which is also common. All the elements that make up a bowl of ramen are not domineering, but are all rounded out like a circle, but the thick pork loin is outstanding. It has a good texture like a high-quality beef tongue. There are two types of noodles to choose from: “hand-kneaded” and “straight. The noodles are made by “Menya Teigaku”, a famous noodle factory in Kyoto.
Menya Berabo
3F Iidabashi Sakura Terrace, 2-10-2 Fujimi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
SARAH URL : https://sarah30.com/menus/2534587
(4) Shoyu Shoyu Ramen (Ramen Sugimoto / Aoba-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture)
Review comments by Mr. Kazuakki (Ramen Bureaucrat), Gourmet Master
I continued to try “Shoyu Shoyu”. Delicious, this is too delicious! The composition here has been changed from before the relocation to an aggressive composition where the umami of the Kaeshi sharply punctures the taste buds. The quality of the umami is so good that I can’t stop holding the spoon in my hand. It seems to have evolved even further, and has reached a stage one rank above the rest.
Ramen Sugimoto
26-1 Sakuradai, Aoba-ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture
https://sarah30.com/menus/2543217
(5) Kuro Dashi soup stock (Chuka-soba Dark Green/ Higashimatsuyama City, Saitama Prefecture)
Review comments by Mr. Kazuakki (Ramen Bureaucrat), Gourmet Master
The second bowl I had was Kuro Dashi soup, which reigned at the top of the ticket machine. Conclusion. This is delicious, too delicious! It is a “light soy sauce” with an extremely high degree of perfection, and the way it is made even makes me feel divine. The triple soup consists of chicken-based animal broth, shellfish broth, and vegetable broth. It is a masterpiece, with the flavors shifting from the beginning to the end of the soup.
Chuka Soba Fukaryoku
297-11 Imaizumi, Higashimatsuyama-shi, Saitama
SARAH URL : https://sarah30.com/menus/2623011
Soy sauce ramen ranked no. 1 in the ranking of ramen genre submissions.
SARAH’s Food Data Bank, a service operated by SARAH that analyzes big data from whole foods for marketing, product development, and sales proposals to customers, ranked soy sauce ramen No. 1 from January to March of this year. Among the various shoyu ramen, we hope you will try the light ramen introduced here.
*Source: https://fooddatabank.net/
JAPAN MENU AWARD2021 can be found at the following link: https: //award.sarah30.com/2021
SARAH service website : https://sarah30.com/
Official Twitter: https: //twitter.com/sarah__gourmet
ds official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_gourmet/?hl=ja
Article cooperation： SARAH Editorial Department
SARAH is a gourmet community ap
review site that focuses on restaurant dish postings.
URL: https://sarah30.com/
The JAPAN MENU AWARD is SARAH's own gourmet award that recognizes the best dish of each menu such as "curry," "hamburger steak," "yakitori," etc. SARAH masters and other celebrities who are familiar with each menu genre at the top level in Japan, as well as maniacs who have visited over 3,000 restaurants. The top judges in Japan, including SARAH masters, celebrities who are experts in each menu category, and enthusiasts who have visited more than 3,000 restaurants, will gather to determine the best dish in each category!
The judges will vote on a scale of "★★ Outstanding - I'd go out of my way to try it", "★ Excellent - I'd go out of my way to eat it", and "★ Delicious - It left a lasting impression on me". This year marks the 8th time the contest has been held since 2016, with the aim of helping users "find a delicious dish. Restaurants offering winning dishes will receive a commemorative plaque to display at their restaurants
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The award-winning restaurants will receive a commemorative plaque to be displayed in their shops. This year, we have newly established the Soba (buckwheat noodle), Tantanmen (noodle soup), and Curry Bread categories as new trendy genres.
