大貴: Bowl #29

In all honesty, the fine points of this shop have been forgotten. Clearly is has taken too long to get around to writing this post, my apologies in advance for its vague details and short length. What is remembered is that the dining room at 大貴 (Daiki) was quite busy and it took a little while to get a seat at the counter. Thankfully, it didn’t take very long to be served a piping hot bowl of their shoyu Ramen.

The broth was inviting; a rich scent of pork and soy sauce wafted up from the dish. It was just as delicious as one could hope. The bowl was topped with a few slices of chashu pork, some steamed greens, menma, nori and thinly sliced scallion. Though they are standard toppings, the combination creates diversity and adds depth to what would otherwise be just a bowl of noodles. Feeling a bit rushed because of the busy lunch hour, it did not take long to finish off the whole bowl and head to the cash register to get the second to last stamp. Only one stop left to go before completing the Ramen Rally Challenge!

大貴 (Daiki)

Shoyu-Ramen.
Hearty pork broth flavored with soy sauce.

麺場ふうらいぼう: Bowl #28

One of the main reasons I knew I had to finish this blog, not just because it is good to finish things that you start, was to write about this shop. Nagaoka really surprised me with the number of amazing Ramen restaurants that were listed in the Komachi magazine. Each one had their own unique signature. With the second visit to the area, it was time to finish off this challenge once and for all.

The first stop we made was to a shop that ended up being closed, good job to me for checking the printed hours and holidays beforehand. In the end, I am thankful they were not open. As soon as I entered 麺場ふうらいぼう (Men-ba Fuuraibou) the theme of the shop was very clear. The inside was designed after a garage. Tables lined the walls under the windows, circling around a central counter area that enclosed the kitchen. The staff was dressed in coveralls, just like what is worn in a car shop. Metal and cement were the main building materials present, with wooden accents for a touch of warmth.

Once my order of the house Ramen was placed it was time to sit back and watch the finely tuned (pun intended) staff at their perfectly timed routine from my seat at the counter. When my Ramen arrived, it was easy to see the payoff for their almost robotic actions. The bowl of steaming hot soup was topped with a nice array of carefully laid toppings. A tangled mass of noodles lay twisted underneath a single slice of chashu pork, some greens, grated scallions, menma and a pinch of red pepper shreds.

The noodles themselves were wonderfully cooked; just the right amount of chewiness with their own distinct wheat flavor. The broth was rich in color and just as flavorful; just the right balance of salt and soy sauce. There is something so satisfying about diving in to a bowl of steaming hot Ramen. Even if you burn your mouth on the first few slurps that is how you know it is worth it. Before I knew it, my spoon was scraping the bottom of the dish. Completely satisfied, it was time to acquire stamp number twenty-eight and head off for the penultimate bowl of Ramen.

麺場ふうらいぼう (Men-ba Fuuraibou)

Watching the noodle pot bubble and boil.

One of the best bowls on the challenge.

Delicious, thin, straight noodles.

A clear sign of a delicious dish.

王華飯店: Bowl #27

Bowl number 27 came from a small Chinese restaurant on Joetsu’s bar street. The two of us have walked past it a number of times while out on a weekend night and Husband had commented on wanting to try it sometime. Well, the night finally came. Many of the restaurants and bars on the street look as though they were once residences, and it is quite likely that they were just that. 王華飯店 (Ouka-hanten) is no different. The parking area is just a small cave that barely fits two cars, just like a garage in a family home. After squeezing past both of the cars that were parked in the “lot” we entered the small dining area.

It was still pretty early in the night, so the restaurant, along with the street outside, was empty. Our little group was seated at a really big table for just the three of us. After learning that most of the menu was Chinese dishes, Husband was ready to chow down. I stuck with my challenge and ordered chashu Ramen.

The soup was clear but flavorful. The noodles were the traditional Chinese style; yellow in color and very squiggly. Their consistency was pleasant with just the right amount of chewiness. The chashu pork was pretty ordinary; the taste was nice but was nothing spectacular. Overall it was a nice, basic bowl of Ramen. The boys ordered various Chinese dishes and said that they were quite delicious. Stamp 27 was added to the book and another trip to Nagaoka was planned for the next weekend to finish out the adventure. 

王華飯店 (Ouka-hanten)

House chashu-men

Noodle shot!

If anyone is still reading this, hopefully you haven't given up on me, or think that I gave up on my goal. I did finish the Komachi Magazine Ramen Rally Challenge of 30 bowls by October 31, but with my busy schedule writing about the last few shops sort of fell by the wayside. Alas, I have vowed to finish what I started! So stay tuned, check back soon, and get excited! I will fill you in about the end of the adventure.

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!

風伯 (Fuuhaku)

Meaty, fatty broth with minimal, but well chosen, toppings.

A close up shot of the signature char-finished pork belly.

Noodles, pork and a delicious soup, what more do you need?

源次郎: Bowl #25

Niigata City is packed with eligible Stamp Rally Ramen shops. Participants in the City really had it easy when it comes to completing the challenge as they did not have to travel for hours in order to get all their stamps. Well, we traveled. Husband and I went to Niigata, twice, in pursuit of our Ramen Rally stamps. On the first trip we had already eaten Mexican food and when we finally got around to trying Ramen that there was only time, and room, for one bowl. This time was different.

On the other side of the small station in the vast neighborhood was another small shop, 源次郎 (Genjirou) that looked promising. It took a while to find what with Husband’s knee threatening to give out on him and because of the fact that it was tucked away off of the main road. The inside was small, boasting only a handful of counter seats and a few small tables. We were seated in the back and immediately noticed a poster for the Komachi magazine challenge with a picture of the bowl that they had decided to showcase from this shop. We decided to stick with the recommendation as it looked very good.

The bowl that arrived was of a style Husband really enjoys, tonkotsu shoyu.  Creamy pork broth mixed with a shoyu dashi then topped with little bits of half melted pork fat is what makes this ramen delicious.  Sure there was chopped onion, strips of menma, decorative naruto, and a sheet of nori, but the salty fatty broth was all you really needed.  Within the murky brown liquid were average size noodles, not too soft or too chewy, which held the broth rather well.  Nice big pieces of chashu floated on top, with little pools of broth collecting on them.  The meat was thinly sliced and broke apart each time you squeezed them with the chopsticks.  This was just the meal husband needed to shake off the pain in his knee and venture on to the next shop.

Only five bowls left after this one!

源次郎 (Genjirou)

Thick and fatty tonkotsu Ramen.

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.