“A violent combination of meat, fat, and sugar.”

Ramen and anime are currently enjoying unprecedented heights of popularity around the globe, and at the same time Japan is seeing record numbers of inbound international travelers. So there are a couple of ramen restaurants in Tokyo’s otaku district of Akihabara where you can regularly see long lines of foreign tourists waiting to get in.

Several of them, like Kyushu Jangara in the photo above, are actually chains that just happen to have a branch in Akihabara. But as he was walking through the neighborhood the other day, our Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun spotted a line of foreign travelers stretching from the entrance of a relatively new independent ramen joint.

Kitaro (seen above) has been in business for less than half a year, having opened its doors in May. If it’s already attracting crowds, though, P.K. figured they must be doing something right, so he got in line to try it for himself.

It’s common for ramen restaurants in Japan to proudly announce what sub-genre of the dish they specialize in, either as part of the restaurant’s official name or somewhere on its signage. In Kitaro’s case, they bill themselves as serving “kotteri abura ramen,” or “heavy fatty ramen.” That’s likely meant as a description of the broth the noodles are served in, but as P.K. got closer to the entrance and got a look at the menu posted outside, he saw that Kitaro lets you go heavy and high-calorie with toppings too as his eyes were drawn to the Tenkomori ramen.

1,450 yen (US$10.35) gets you a bowl of noodles in Kitaro’s heavy fatty broth, slices of chashu roast pork, a supplementary large chunk of even more chashu, and, pako, a deep-fried pork sparerib cutlet, plus a boiled egg, green onion, and bamboo shoots. Oh, and the Tenkomori ramen comes standard with an extra-large portion of noodles, because there’s no way anyone’s ordering this without an extra-large appetite.

P.K. wasn’t the only one whose attention was grabbed by the Tenkomori either. All three of the foreign customers who were in line directly ahead of him asked for it, and when it was P.K’s turn to order, he made it four in a row.

Even after seeing the menu photo, P.K. couldn’t suppress a feeling of giddy shock at the triple-helping of pork placed before him. Looking at the broth, there was so much flavorful fat floating in it that it looked like freshly fallen snow.

And it tastes exactly like it looks: rich, decadent, and very, very filling. The thick, curvy noodles provide a dense delivery of carbs, and there’s nowhere to run from intense flavors in every bite or sip.

Add in an element of sweetness from the sparerib seasoning, and P.K. describes the Tenkomori eating experience as:

“A violent combination of meat, fat, and sugar.”

That’s not a complaint, mind you. The violence Tenkomori unleashes on your taste buds is of the highly pleasurable and entertaining sort, like watching an action movie or pro wrestling match (also things P.K. is very fond of). It’s not a gentle meal, by any stretch of the imagination or stomach, but it’s one P.K. is glad to have had.

Restaurant information
Kitaro / きたろう
Address: Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Sotokanda 3-4-16
東京都千代田区外神田3-4-16
Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]