ちょび吉: Bowl #24

Round two of Ramen shops in Niigata was underway after a lengthy train ride. Upon arriving in Niigata, we had to backtrack a little to get to the desired neighborhood. The train station where we unloaded was merely a blip in a sea of family homes. Clearly a suburb of the larger city, the area was full of residences and small restaurants to feed the local families. Poor Husband was nursing a sore knee after his previous weekend spent playing in a soccer tournament, so the twenty minute walk to the first shop was a little rough and slow going.

Being a very sunny Sunday afternoon it was not at all surprising to find a queue of people waiting to eat lunch at ちょび 吉 (Chobi-kichi). Luckily the waitlist did not have too many names on it and it was possible to be seated ahead of a larger family by taking an empty counter seat. The small dining room smelled heavily of ginger and was humid with steam from the many boiling pots in the open kitchen. The love of ginger was plainly laid out with their special titled “Super Ginger Heaven Ramen). After checking out the unique hand-written menu, the decision was made to try the bowl that was shown in the Komachi magazine.

Thankfully, my Ramen did not take too long to arrive in front of me. Steaming hot, the scent of ginger and garlic wafted up from the lovely blue and white patterned bowl. Wherein a deep brown broth flecked with puddles of melted fat enticed the first taste. Upon trying the first spoonful of soup, it was apparent this soup would be one for the favorites list. The sweetness of the ginger and bite of garlic mixed well in the soup that also packed quite a meaty punch. It wouldn’t be surprising if the soup was flavored with the liquid that is leftover after braising chashu pork. The meat itself was divine. So tender and crumbly, the large chunks made me think they had just given up when trying to cut uniformed slices and just chopped it into bite sized pieces.

The noodles were wonderfully soft, but still had great texture. Originally yellow in color, the rich concentration of the soup soaked into the noodles turning them a golden brown color. The extra toppings were fairly standard; chopped scallion, steamed spinach, a sheet of nori and a slice of naruto. Also present was a full egg that had been soft cooked and then marinated. It delivered another pack of rich soy and ginger that only added to overall dish. Every bite was as full of flavor as the last and it was not long before the bottom of the bowl was beaming back at me.

Stamp number twenty-four was given for a truly delicious bowl of Ramen. But this was not the end of the Niigata Ramen Adventure: Round Two. Not wanting to befall the same fate as last time, when we only had one bowl in the city, we headed off towards another stamp. 

Waiting outside ちょび 吉 (Chobi-kichi) with other hungry Ramen-lovers.

Mouthwatering broth, savory toppings and saturated noodles. Good to the last drop.