{"id":473,"date":"2020-01-26T22:55:42","date_gmt":"2020-01-26T22:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/willchews.com\/?p=473"},"modified":"2020-02-06T02:44:23","modified_gmt":"2020-02-06T02:44:23","slug":"ramen023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willchews.com\/index.php\/ramen023\/","title":{"rendered":"Ramen No. 23: Honda | Deluxe Tonkotsu-Gyokai"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Honda is one of my favorite ramen shops in all of Tokyo, it’s the one of two ramen shops I always recommend to friends visiting when they’re looking to experience Japanese ramen for the first time.\u00a0 That’s because while Honda serves shoyu and shio ramen as well on its menu, it’s best known for its tonkotsu-gyokai bowl, which ranked 8th in 2019 on Ramen Database<\/a>.\u00a0 It’s a flavor that is only starting to appear in ramen shops overseas, but it’s one that is very popular in Tokyo.\u00a0<\/div>
\u00a0<\/div>
Honda’s rendition of tonkotsu-gyokai<\/a> is highly regarded, and it’s also one of the most intense, with a flavor that is similar to niboshi<\/a> (sardines)-style ramen without any of the grittiness (due to leavings of pork bone from making the pork broth) that one usually associates with the intensity.\u00a0 (In contrast, another famous tonkotsu-gyokai shop, Tomita, has a broth that is both intense and<\/i>\u00a0gritty)\u00a0 The bowl also comes with a spoonful of spice to add even more kick to the broth.\u00a0 It’s an excellent broth, though not my favorite tonkotsu-gyokai in Tokyo.<\/div>
\u00a0<\/div>
The rest of the bowl is top-notch.\u00a0 The noodles are hand-made in-house, thick (to soak up the rich broth) and with plenty of bite.\u00a0 The chashu was particularly impressive: both pork shoulder and belly, and the shoulder is roasted with a bit of peppery rub in it, making it taste like pastrami.\u00a0 Other elements expected in a deluxe bowl–the ajitama<\/a>, the menma<\/a>— were terrific as well, and the still-crisp greens added a bit of textural contrast to what is a rich bowl of ramen.<\/div>
\u00a0<\/div>
I came here when Honda’s tokusei<\/a> bowl came in at only 980 yen and was an absolute steal.\u00a0 The price has now increased to 1180 yen, which is more in line with typical prices, but it’s still worth a visit.\u00a0 That’s in part because it’s located in Tokyo’s Kita Ward: just 20-25 minutes away from more well-known central Tokyo neighborhoods like Roppongi or Kagurazaka, but a much more down-home atmosphere of old shopping streets and posters of enka<\/i>\u00a0singers plastered all over the place.\u00a0 It’s also the ward with some of the best ramen in Tokyo, and it’s worth getting to know better.<\/div>
\u00a0<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Folks waiting in line outside Honda<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
Tier 1<\/a><\/b><\/div>
Q Factor: 15 minutes (Weekday 1830)<\/div>
Sense: A butchered, lyrical version of the Godfather theme playing in the background<\/div>
Price: Deluxe Tonkotsu-Gyokai Ramen (\u00a5980)<\/div>
\u00a0<\/div>
\u9eba\u51e6 \u307b\u3093\u7530 (Mendokoro Honda)<\/div>
\u3012114-0001 \u6771\u4eac\u90fd\u5317\u533a\u6771\u5341\u67611-22-6<\/div>
Higashi-Jujo Station (JR Keihin-Tohoku Line)<\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t