Ramen Happiness: 新平: Bowl #20

Husband returned from a weekend-long soccer tournament and had his mind set on a nice long nap, but I had other plans. On the first visit to Tokamachi, where we trekked through a rice field, there was not enough time to visit more than one restaurant before having to return to the station to catch our train home. With two more shops available for stamping, we set off for the small town again, this time by car. The trip was not too long, but the typhoon that was passing nearby had brought drenching rains to our part of the country.

新平 (Shinpei) would have been easily accessible on our first adventure if we had not gotten lost. Located just down the street from the train station, it was pretty easy to find. When we entered the shop, the first thing we noticed was the really appealing interior. The white walls with dark wood floors and accents were modern created a warm feeling. The dining room only offered a few tables and a single counter area. We were seated at one of the tables along the front wall next to the windows. Beyond the counter area, we were able to somewhat see into the open kitchen.

Husband was extremely sore from playing in six soccer matches over two days and could barely walk at even an old man’s normal pace, but he could definitely still put down some noodles. Not wanting to chance a disappointment he ordered the a shoyu chashu-Ramen bowl with a little twist. Added to the, already flavorful, soup was an extra shot of aged soy sauce. A nice dark broth packed with flavor immediately brought some life back into the near defeated man.

If he had to guess, pork with a bit of chicken made up the stock. The noodles were a bit thicker and held the soup very well, but were a tad bit chewier than Husband would have liked them to be. This made every bite more work than he was anticipating. Tender menma, bitter dandelion greens, nori, and naruto fish cake rested neatly on top of the noodles next to the thinly sliced chashu. The meat was a step above plain, but not outstanding, by all means still an enjoyable still. All in all a nice shop with a refreshing post soccer bowl of ramen.

Since Husband had gone for the bowl with all the extras in the attempt at bringing him back to life, I decided to stick with just the classic shoyu ramen. Pretty similar in presentation only mine was not quite as dark in color and was lacking the extra slices of pork that were fanned out around the edge of Husband’s bowl like a hand of cards. The soup was hearty, packed full of meaty flavor. While Husband did not enjoy the texture of the noodles, I thought they were pleasantly chewy.

After finishing the first of two bowls of the night, the book was given stamp number twenty. Only one-third of the challenge left. Ten more bowls of Ramen to sample.