A note on the words: chuka soba is the older name for ramen, usually meaning the soy-seasoned classic; tokusei, deluxe, means the bowl comes loaded with all the toppings. Tsukesoba and morisoba are both styles where the noodles arrive separately and you dip them, tsukemen by another name. Tare is the seasoning base a bowl is built on, char siu is the braised pork, ajitama is an egg marinated in soy, and menma is fermented bamboo shoot. Niboshi are dried baby sardines and ago is flying fish, both used for stock. Jiro-class refers to Ramen Jiro, the chain whose portions are famously enormous; 300 grams of noodles is roughly double an ordinary bowl. A highball is whisky and soda. Prices are as of the visit and are listed as the shop had them then.
Tamashii no Chuka Soba on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. This time, the highest-rated ramen shop anywhere near Kami-Itabashi! I decided to try Tamashii no Chuka Soba. I had a feeling there would be a line, so: the first-thing-in-the-morning dash. I arrived a little before they opened and was first in^^ Customers kept arriving after me, which confirms it is a popular shop.
Inside, the first thing is to buy a meal ticket!
Tokusei chuka soba: 1,400 yen
Tokusei tsukesoba: 1,450 yen
Tokusei morisoba: 1,450 yen
The machine asks you to pay in coins where possible, so I tried paying entirely in coins^^
The chuka soba, I think. I want a drink as well, so the deluxe version it is.
To put the conclusion first: if you want to eat without waiting, lining up before opening is the surest thing. It is the highest-rated ramen shop around Kami-Itabashi, so lining up is the premise to begin with.
This time I thought there would be a line, so I did the first-thing-in-the-morning dash. I arrived a little before opening and was first in. Customers kept arriving after me, though, so there must be days when a line has already formed by opening time. Working backwards, reckoning on fifteen minutes before opening should put your mind at rest.
The way it works is that you go inside and buy a ticket from the machine. The machine asks for coins where possible, so having small change ready is a kindness (this time I paid entirely in coins).
Tamashii no Chuka Soba menu
Menu
Eaten on the day: a rich broth with house-made noodles. Char siu, marinated egg and menma included.
The tsukemen style
The morisoba style
※ Prices are those at the time of my visit. There appear to be limited-run noodles as well.
And now the most important warning. The standard portion of noodles is 300 grams. That is Jiro-class. You can choose the small before you buy your ticket, so if you are not confident about quantity, take the small without hesitating. I ordered the standard and only just managed to finish… which was the state of things.
A highball, of course.
Right, a spell of waiting while staring at the noodles being boiled.
The noodles are house-made, I think. They look excellent even before they go in the water!
Ta-da! The tokusei chuka soba.
I mean lol that is far too many noodles lol I learned afterwards that it is 300 grams. That is Jiro-class, surely lol
I was worried about whether I could eat this much! Well, the broth first.
The rich broth is full of savor and seriously good!
Pork bone, pig trotters, chicken bones, minced meat, niboshi, dried mackerel flakes and aromatic vegetables go into it, apparently: complex, but pulled together.
Onto that goes a mellow, deeply savory tare made with several kinds of soy sauce plus ago (flying fish), niboshi, kombu and dried fish flakes.
The char siu, the marinated egg and the menma are steeped through with flavor and work perfectly as something to drink alongside.
And these distinctive noodles are slippery and springy and good! The taste and scent of the wheat come through very strongly. Now that is good. Not a single additive in them either — noodles with soul, truly lol There is a great deal of it, and while thinking I should have gone for the small, I somehow finished… Completely full!
At this quantity and this quality, 1,400 yen is thoroughly satisfying. It might be nice if the noodle quantity could be chosen in finer steps.
A highly rated shop, and it shows. Generous and hearty, the sort of ramen you eat for the noodles. Anyone working around here would surely become a regular. There appear to be limited-run noodles as well, so next time I might try a different bowl! And next time I shall take the small lol
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
