We are waiting for the Ramen (Chinese noodles) Enthusiasts Challenge!
Published: March 12, 2018
The residential area of Ishijima lies between Sumiyoshi in the north and the bustle of Toyocho in the south. Although a quiet neighbourhood away from the main street it’s home to a rather interesting restaurant, Ramen Ichizen. On a recent wet and windy afternoon I dropped in for a chat with the proprietor Mr. Kofune.
“I’ve been in the restaurant business all my life,” says the ebullient Mr. Kofune. “I’m actually from the next ward, Sumida-ku, and took over here about seven years ago. The local people around here are very friendly; it’s a real old town neighbourhood. Our customers are a great mix: at lunchtimes it’s locals and business people, in the evenings and at weekends we have many families and young people. Our portions are pretty large!”
Even at 2:30pm on a blustery, cold Friday afternoon a young businessman was finishing a late lunch. “The huge Tokyo East 21 hotel and office complex is just south of here so we get many customers from there, both Japanese and foreigners. We’ve also seen an increase in the number of foreigners passing by and so we updated our English menu,” says Mr. Kofune.
Ramen Ichizen is both a traditional Japanese ramen shop and a Chinese restaurant. Ramen takes pride of place at the front of the menu and the salty miso ramen, pictured here, is the top seller. Second is the Ichizen ramen and third is the tanmen, noodles topped with stir-fried meat (usually pork) and vegetables in a light broth.
Customers can choose the spiciness of the soup. One is the lowest level while five is peak pungency; somewhere in the middle is probably best! There is also a range of popular Chinese noodle dishes; Guangdong noodles and the Sichuan original Tantanmen.
According to Mr. Kofune the ramen sets are very popular, especially among hungry young people. Together with a ramen of their choice, customers can choose from a variety of items served on rice in a small bowl (“donburi” in Japanese). Sichuan style deep-fried bean curd, pork and ginger, cha-siu barbecued pork and the like can be sampled for just two or three hundred yen each.
A wide range of set meals is also available. These include a main dish, rice, soup, a dumpling, and pickles for the incredible price of 580 or 680 yen. Fried rice set meals are also very good value (and very filling) at 680 yen each.
Many of the Chinese dishes on the menu are Sichuan style. Sichuan food is noted for its liberal use of garlic and chili peppers; if you prefer your Chinese food hot and spicy then it’s for you. Mr. Kofune adds that, “We make as much of the ingredients we use as possible, including our own cha-siu and miso (fermented soy bean paste). We buy miso but then add seasonings to create a unique Ichizen blend. Our cook and his wife are Chinese so it’s genuine Sichuan style food we serve here.” That perennial Sichuan favourite, hot and spicy fried bean curd (“tofu” in Japanese) with lashings of peppercorns (“sansho” in Japanese) is also a popular dish at Ichizen.
Ichizen also offer three different banquet courses at 1580, 1780, and 1980 yen each. For trenchermen there is a massive, all you can eat two hour special for just 2680 yen.
Even the goldfish are excited about the incredible value of the food at Ramen Ichizen.
So, if you’re in the area and feel in the mood for some five-star ramen or authentic Sichuan cooking at unbeatable prices, Ramen Ichizen is the place for you!
Story and Photos by Stephen Spencer
