Ramen Takahashi

For their signature Yaki-ago Shio Ramen, the shio (塩, Salt) dare (たれ, Sauce) uses yaki-ago that is made using a unique method to Ramen Takahashi (that is even patent-pending). This allows them to grill a large amount of ago (顎, Flying Fish) over two levels at a carefully controlled temperature in order to create a rich taste that competitors cannot copy or replicate. A shio dare that is fragrant and rich in umami (旨味, Savoriness) is what Ramen Takahashi is proud of. For the soup, tonkotsu (豚骨, Pork bones) and chicken bones are boiled together with the yaki-ago, niboshi (煮干し, Dried Sardines), and konbu (昆布, Kelp) to get a thick and rich yaki-ago soup. For the komiyu (香味油, Kōmiyu, Flavouring Oil), the goal was to bring out the fragrance of the yaki-ago to the maximum extent they can. And so, for Ramen Takahashi's komiyu, they use a unique secret method to extract out the fragrance and umami from the yaki-ago before concentrating it into a komiyu. Lastly, for the noodles, they use a special type of noodle that was developed by a traditional noodle factory in Kyoto (京都, Kyōto) that uses the centre part of the wheat in order to produce a flour that when mixed with a lot of water, produces a noodle with a good texture and bounce to it.

For their Se-abura Niboshi Shoyu Ramen, the shoyu (醤油, Shōyu, Soy Sauce) dare (たれ, Sauce) uses Sekigahara Tamari Shoyu (溜醤油, Tamari Shōyu), which is an extremely expensive and high-quality type of shoyu (醤油, Shōyu, Soy Sauce). Using that shoyu, they boil it with large amounts of niboshi (煮干し, Dried Sardines) in order to create a new type of shoyu where the niboshi is the main star, and the bitter taste of the niboshi becomes a secretly addictive taste. For the se-abura (背脂, Back Fat), domestically produced pork is used, with the fats slowly boiled over a low heat in order to soften it. For the noodles, one of Japan's most famous flour brands "The Folk Song of Noodles" (麺ノ鄙歌, Men no Hinauta) is used, and its said to bring out the best extent of fragrance and taste from the wheat. Using this flour, straight futomen (太麺, Thick Noodles) is created that preserves the taste of the wheat.

For their Yaki-ago Tsukemen, they use a Ramen Takahashi-original yaki-ago white dashi (出汁) that is mixed together with the shio (塩, Salt) dare (たれ, Sauce) that they make for the Yaki-ago ramen, in order to create the dipping sauce for the tsukemen. For the noodles, they use a special type of noodles from a traditional noodle manufacturer in Kyoto (京都, Kyōto) that uses two different types of flour from Mie Prefecture (三重県, Mie-ken), the Ayahikari (あやひかり) and Ise no Hibiki (伊勢の響), that produces a type of noodle that is ideal for being slurped down. For the komiyu (香味油, Kōmiyu, Flavouring Oil), yaki-ago is cooked at an extremely low heat in order to extract out the taste and fragrance into the komiyu. Lastly, the noodles are served in konbu (昆布, Kelp) water. Using the konbu for matsumaezuke (松前漬け) , they can create a type of konbu water that has a nice smooth and slightly gooey texture to it. The noodles are then covered in the taste and umami (旨味, Savoriness) from the konbu, and as you eat it and dip it into the dipping sauce, the taste of the dipping sauce slowly changes as it mixes with the konbu water to create yet another new taste.

Ramen Takahashi is one of those ramen restaurants that we keep going back to, every time we are in the Shinjuku area. It's also one of the shop that open late into the night, and makes for a great late-night food option if you've missed the last order for other restaurants. For us, it's really the unique taste of the soup that keeps us coming back over and over again. Especially if you are sick of the taste of tonkotsu (豚骨, Pork bones), a broth as unique as Ramen Takahashi's is a real eye-opener.

While it's also relatively well-known amongst tourists, and does attract a fair queue of both Japanese and tourists, the queues are not as insane as many of the popular ramen restaurants in Tokyo. The shop moves through customers at a relatively brisk pace, and we recommend coming at off-peak hours if you want to skip the queue.

For most first-time visitors, we recommend starting off with the Yaki-ago Shio Ramen, as that's the shop's signature and also its most unique ramen. The Se-abura Niboshi Shoyu Ramen is also good, but it doesn't stand out as much compared to other shoyu ramen shops in Tokyo. The soup of the yaki-ago shio ramen is really something very special, and that smokey aftertaste is really something we haven't found anywhere else in Japan. For those who are more accustomed to eating Chinese food, they may recognize the taste as being similar to "wok hei", which is sort of a smokey taste imparted to the dish from a wok.

Bonus Tip: If you visit during winter, Ramen Takashi typically offers a Yaki-ago Miso Ramen (味噌ラーメン, Miso Rāmen) as a seasonal special. This is one of our favourite dishes there, and we highly recommend giving it a try if you like miso ramen. The thick broth, with a certain creaminess that comes from the miso (味噌) makes it almost perfect, and some spicy chilli on the side really gives the bowl a good kick.