A note on the words: chuka soba, literally “Chinese noodles,” is an affectionate classic name for ramen. Niboshi are small dried sardines used to draw an intensely savory stock, while kaeshi is the concentrated soy sauce seasoning base blended into each bowl.
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Chuka Soba Kuni on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. In an alley walking from Akasaka Station toward Roppongi sits a ramen shop called “Chuka Soba Kuni”. I had only visited once right after it opened, but on my way home after missing lunch, I spotted it open! It was around 3:00 PM, but it seems they stay open until 4:00 PM, which is a lifesaver! So I decided to stop in for a bowl.
Soy sauce niboshi ramen — 900 yen
Salt niboshi ramen — 900 yen
Shellfish broth ramen — 1,000 yen
The trusty soy sauce niboshi ramen. Did they have the shellfish broth ramen last time I came?
It was a limited-quantity item, so it caught my eye, but I really just wanted an orthodox soy sauce soup!
So I went with the soy sauce niboshi ramen.
While waiting for my ramen to arrive, I read through the note on Chuka Soba Kuni’s methods posted right in front of me.
According to the note, the soup uses generous amounts of multiple varieties of dried sardines from different regions — seguro from Nagasaki, hirago from Chiba, and shirokuchi from Hiroshima and Kagawa. They extract the umami slowly by cold-steeping (!) before applying heat.
The kaeshi seasoning base blends selected dark soy sauces with tamari soy sauce and others, rested for two days together with lots of dried sardines, kombu kelp, and dried shiitake mushrooms.
I see. That explains why the soup tastes so good.
A beautifully colored soy sauce broth!
Delicious soy sauce ramen that lets the dashi broth do the talking has become quite popular lately, hasn’t it?
Thin noodles in a superb soup where the broth hits with full force, topped with what looks like chashu pork cooked at a low temperature.
Well, it is delicious after all. It makes sense that everyone wants to make it!
And taking a sip of the soup: delicious.
Well, this is their strong suit. It goes down so easily that you can drink it without worry even with a hangover! Delicious.
The smooth thin noodles have a distinct, snappy bite that suits the soup nicely.
Mmm, it had been a while since my last visit, but ramen with a gentle soy sauce broth is simply wonderful! Being open until 4:00 PM also means you can keep it as a shingari, the rear guard — a fallback when other shops are closed. I am quietly curious about that shellfish broth ramen too, so I think I will give it a try next time I go!
Chuka Soba Kuni (Ramen / Akasaka Station, Roppongi Itchome Station, Tameike Sanno Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.4
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
