Special niboshi ramen light soy sauce flavor｜Niboshi iwashi ramen En Hachioji-honten

Hachioji in Tokyo is home to many famous ramen restaurants. Today I went to “Niboshi-iwashi-ramen En Hachioji-honten”. I arrived early, so there was no one waiting for me. However, as soon as I noticed, there were almost 10 people in line behind me. The restaurant has only 7 seats at the counter.

Japanese dried sardines, wheat and grilled char siu pork

As soon as I entered the restaurant, I immediately went to the ticket machine. I was not sure whether to order the light soy sauce flavor, the dark soy sauce flavor, or the salt flavor, but I decided to go with the most orthodox light soy sauce flavor. I bought a ticket for “Tokusei niboshi ramen Usukuchi shoyu ramen,” （Special Niboshi Ramen Light Soy Sauce Flavor）handed it to the waiter, and placed my order. When we sat down, we were told that the soup was made with dried sardines mainly from Kujukuri, the noodles were homemade with 100% Hokkaido flour and plenty of raw egg, and the char siu pork was made from Japanese pork and baked in the oven instead of being boiled in a pot.

Light soy sauce and overflowing flavor of dried sardines

After 7-8 minutes of waiting, the “Tokusei niboshi ramen Usukuchi shoyu ramen”（Special niboshi ramen light soy sauce flavor）arrives. It is a very beautiful looking ramen.

First, the soup is served. The soup is called “light soy sauce flavor,” so I assume that light soy sauce is used, but the soy sauce is not too assertive, and the taste of the dried sardines, including the bitterness, is very rich and broad. It is not an unpleasant bitterness, but a soup that is cooked in a perfect balance, and has a taste that has been carefully selected.

Next, the noodles are homemade medium thin noodles. The noodles are just the right amount of boiled, chewy, and you can taste the flavor of the wheat.

The oven-roasted char siu pork is savory, moist inside, and very tasty with a concentrated flavor of meat. The bamboo shoots are light in color but well seasoned. The crunchy texture gives it a nice chewy texture. The ajitama (seasoned egg) is surprisingly well colored with soup stock, but the flavor is not as strong as it looks, and the yolk is half-cooked, giving it a mild taste.

【 UMAMECCA Editor’s voice 】

The “Special Niboshi Ramen Light Soy Sauce Flavor” at the Niboshi-iwashi-ramen En Hachioji-honten is surprisingly thick with a taste of dried sardines, and the soup is made in a place where the taste is just barely noticeable. There are many other restaurants that serve thick soups, but I think there are few soups that have such an aggressive flavor in a clean, clear soup. The soup, noodles, and ingredients are all in perfect harmony in the bowl, and I think it is a first-class job.