Ramen Happiness: 風伯: Bowl #26

Back in central Niigata city, after some shopping and meandering around a festival, we had time for one more bowl of Ramen before our train back home. Near the station is a clean, well decorated shop called 風伯 (Fuuhaku). It was empty inside except for the staff, not surprising as it was between normal lunch and dinner hours. We took a seat along the wall and took in the menu. Feeling a little Ramen-ed out, Husband began checking out the non-soup menu items. But I was not going to let another stamp pass me by, plus this restaurant had a whole page devoted to it in the Komachi magazine.

Boasting thick, fatty kotteri broth with flame charred slices of pork belly, there was no doubt about what bowl to order. Sticking with simplicity the dish was not topped with a whole array of extras, just some menma, half of a boiled egg, some greens and the star chashu pork. The soup smelled heavenly; a rich meaty aroma wafted up from the steaming bowl. The noodles were nice, chewy, and coated with the savory soup. And the pork belly was just as delicious as expected. Thick strips of fat ran throughout each slice and the finishing char added a wonderful smoky flavor. Needless to say I ate the whole thing, quite a feat for such a noodle-filled day. On the way out the door to catch our train, the book was given stamp number twenty six, just a few shops left!