Tuesday, May 10, 2011

ラーメン長山 - Nagayama, Uguisudani


豚骨ラーメン - Tonkotsu Ramen ¥650

  If you ever find yourself in need of a late night snack when you are wandering around the love hotels of Uguisudani, then Nagayama could be the place to fulfill your needs... It's just a short walk across the bridge from the south exit of the station and just to the left of the bottom of the stairs. And ten seconds from this sign...


    Don't be turned off by the fact that the place isn't much to look at. It is, after all, just a ramen store and chances are you won't be in there any longer than 20 minutes. Even if they do keep some the cooking equipment on the 1970s installed laminex counter. Understandably so since there are only 12 counter seats in this tiny space which is bundled in amongst many more shitamachi-style shops.

 
    It seems as though the 2 staff who were working on the balmy spring afternoon I attended either enjoy their job or were just appreciative of the lovely weather outside while they were holed-up in a hot kitchen. In any case, they were friendly and chatty and offered a few choice insights into modern Japanese culture which made the entire experience quite pleasurable.


    With my tickets for a beer and a piping hot bowl of tonkotsu ramen placed on the counter I had to decide which kind of noodles I wanted and whether to indulge in the omori service, free of charge. I declined the larger serving and selected the thinner noodles...


     Tonkotsu ramen is probably about as close to liquid gold as I can imagine and the soup at Nagayama was a excellent representation of it. The menma and spring onions were only sparing but that was more than made up for by the extra-greasy, silky smooth chashu.


   The regular size was a good choice and left me wanting perhaps just a little more. Maybe next time...








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