Keep calm & slurp your ramen – ICHIRAN EDITION

There is so much food in Japan and they all look so delicious. What should you try first?

of course RAMEN!!!

Ichiran ramen is one of the top places you must hit first. If you go to places like Tokyo or Osaka there are always a lineup outside.

Ichiran entrance – picture taken by Cath

First, when you get in, you order your food with the vending machines. You pay and click on what you want. It’s as easy as it sounds! If you are not sure whether you ordered enough or not, it’s okay,  you can still add more when you’re in the dining room. After getting your meal tickets, go find a vacant spot (usually someone will guide you).

Ichiran vending machine – picture taken by Yuhui (spoiltbytes.com)

picture taken from GajinPot in Lynda Deaver’s article

Ichiran has made the dining experience more enjoyable for those who goes alone by separating each spot with a little wall, but if you’re with someone you can fold it into half. Once you seat down, you need to fill a paper to customize your ramen. You can mark your preference for each component of the ramen. For example, you can choose the firmness of the noodles, the amount of green onions, the level of spiciness, the flavor strength, etc. They have a English and Chinese version of the paper so don’t worry. Now, you are ready to ring the bell and slide the paper & your meal ticket to the staff through the window in front you. They come and shut the window right away so you won’t be bothered. If the thirst hits you up, you can find on your left a water tap to serve yourself a glass of water (super convenient!).

Tonkotsu ramen- picture taken by Cath

itadakimasu!   Time to enjoy your  Tonkotsu ramen~

What’s so special about it?

Fresh green onions on the left, 2 sliced of pork on the right and Ichiran’s original red sauce on top of the home-made fresh noodles in the middle mixed with the Tonkotsu broth( pork-based broth) make a perfect combination. Each mouthful is filled of richness and collagen from the broth, which is good for your health and skin. If one serving is not enough, you can order a second serving called a 替玉 (kaedama). You can also order other stuff like eggs or more slices of pork.

When I was there I had the chance to taste their dessert: Matcha annin tofu (Not sure , but I think they either don’t have it everytime or they have a limited supply). The tofu pudding was great; mildly sweet and very soft.

Matcha annin tofu – picture taken by Cath

I had a great experience and hope to see more restaurants like this in North America.

Comment below for any questions or tell us about your experience at any Ichiran shop!

Thank you for reading, see you on the next one! 

-Cath-