A note on the words: abura soba is a brothless style of ramen where hot, chewy noodles are tossed directly with seasoning tare, aromatic oils, and condiments rather than swimming in soup. Ganso means “founder” or “the original.”
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Ganso Aburado Akasaka on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. Along the street by TBS in Akasaka-mitsuke, I had noticed new shops starting to pop up. When I checked out what had opened, it turned out to be an abura soba shop called “Ganso Aburado”! In my mind, abura soba in this area had always meant just that one spot in front of the station, so I was delighted! Figuring it had not been open that long and would surely be packed, I pushed my visit well past peak hours to around 2:30 PM.
Well, it was still wildly crowded anyway, ha.
Ganso Aburado. “The original Aburado,” presumably — surely not the original abura soba, I thought to myself, ha.
Spicy miso abura soba — 880 yen
Spicy miso abura soba A set — 1,010 yen
Spicy miso abura soba B set — 1,130 yen
Spicy miso abura soba C set — 1,230 yen
You buy meal tickets from a digital machine inside.
Noodle sizes range from regular to large and extra-large, all for the exact same price.
I went with large, but the staff suggested, “Extra-large is free as well, you know?” Whether that was pure hospitality or what, ha… Did I look like someone who would crush an extra-large, I wonder, ha!
Well, 300 grams is about the same portion as a Ramen Jiro style shop serves, so it is not as if I could not finish it!
This time, I chose the spicy miso abura soba with the C set.
While waiting for the abura soba, I checked out what was around the shop.
First off, the toppings are unbelievable!
Sesame seeds, Cajun spice, curry powder, ichimi chili, aonori seaweed flakes, black pepper, powdered dried fish. All completely free and unlimited.
On top of that, garlic, chopped onions, and beni shoga red pickled ginger are all-you-can-add too.
At this point, a return visit is already guaranteed, isn’t it! Unlimited garlic and onions — whoever heard of such a thing?! At other shops, even if you pay an extra 100 yen for extra toppings, you only get a tiny dollop! This is a revolution, a flat-out revolution.
Ooh, it is heaped with so many toppings you cannot even see the noodles.
Very nice. When it comes out looking like this, paying 1,230 yen feels thoroughly satisfying.
And now, toss and mix! You have to do this while everything is still hot, otherwise the noodles will seize up!
Taking a bite: delicious!!
They apparently put serious thought into the noodles, because they are incredibly chewy and springy. Word has it they blend pasta flour into Chinese noodle flour, and now that I think about it, the noodles definitely look like pasta. The flavor is great, and they slurp down effortlessly. Delicious!
Now then, time to go wild with toppings.
First, I piled on as much garlic and onion as humanly possible! You could never do this at a normal shop!
Pure bliss.
Then, swirling in a massive splash of vinegar and taking a mouthful: it is delicious enough to melt your brain, ha!
The raw onion and scallions bring refreshing aroma and crunch, the garlic delivers a massive punch, while the cheese and chashu pork provide richness — all tied together by that flood of vinegar. Man, this really gets the brain juices flowing, ha! Delicious.
What an incredible level of satisfaction. Unlimited toppings on abura soba alone is already peak dining, but the noodles are so smooth and easy to eat too.
The price gets a little high when you add a set, but considering what you get, it is practically a bargain. This is exactly what I had been waiting for. At the end, I poured the soup from the counter flask into the bowl and finished off the remaining ingredients together! I am definitely coming back here!
Ganso Aburado Akasaka (Abura-soba, Maze-soba / Akasaka Station, Tameike Sanno Station, Akasaka Mitsuke Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
