らぁ麺やまぐち Yamaguchi: chicken run

With the rainy season finally over, we can once again aim for ramen locations that are less convenient, long walks from nearby stations. Yamaguchi is about a 10-minute walk from Takadanobaba station, a premier Tokyo ramen battlefield. Their speciality: an all-chicken ramen.

We were the first ones to the shop at dinner, but several people arrived right after us to form a small line before the shop opened. The entire shop is a clean U-shaped counter, with some visibility into the kitchen in the back.

We both ordered the beautiful-looking tori-soba.

Tori soba w/ ajitama (880yen)

Unlike tori-paitan, Yamaguchi's chicken ramen isn't a thick porridge, but is clear and really brings out the essence of chicken bones. The noodles are surprisingly silky and smooth, and the warmth spread through my body like a cool air conditioner.

The "chashu" is fantastic: large pieces of chicken coated in starch for a slippery and soft texture. This is probably the best chicken chashu I've ever had.

There were only a couple drawbacks to the bowl. First, the noodles could have been firmer, as they became too soft by the end of the bowl. And while this bowl apparently is made without any additives, it was pretty salty. You feel that salt after you finish the bowl, although Hearts enjoyed it so much, he didn't take a single sip of water until he finished his last drop of soup.

This isn't my top chicken ramen, but the general quality is still splendid.

Tokyo, Shinjuku-ku, Nishi-Waseda 2-11-13
Closest stn: Waseda 

Open from 1130am-3pm and 530-9pm (closed Mondays)

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