{"id":741,"date":"2020-02-05T23:45:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-05T23:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/willchews.com\/?p=741"},"modified":"2020-02-06T00:26:43","modified_gmt":"2020-02-06T00:26:43","slug":"ramen093","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/willchews.com\/index.php\/ramen093\/","title":{"rendered":"Ramen No. 93: Shichisai | Kitakata-style Shoyu Ramen w\/ Extra Chashu"},"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
The town of Kitakata in Fukushima prefecture has the highest number of ramen shops per capita in Japan<\/a> and has a distinctive style<\/a> centered around medium-wide, hand-rolled, crinkled noodles.\u00a0 Ramen devotees should make a trip up to Kitakata to sample the city’s ramen–made all the easier as it is customary for ramen to be eaten for breakfast there, so no reason not to have at least five bowls in a day, buddy–but there are other options for those looking to stay within Tokyo.\u00a0 In 2012, restaurateurs Fujii Yoshihiko and Sakata Hiroaki opened Shichisai out Saginomiya in Nerima ward to specialize in Kitakata ramen.<\/div>
\u00a0<\/div>

According to Ramen Beast<\/a>, Shichisai’s sister shop located in Hatchobori not only hand-rolls its noodles, they are also made to a customer’s order.\u00a0 In addition, at the time of my visit, one could get 50% more noodles for the same price.\u00a0<\/p>

All good things, but unfortunately, the handmade noodles simply did not resonate with me because they felt overly doughy and ended up in a lump in my stomach.\u00a0 This was unfortunate as the rest of the bowl was quite good.\u00a0 The broth is a distinct and delicate shoyu broth in the Kitakata style–since this functions as breakfast food–and is thoughtfully paired with some thinly-chopped menma<\/a> and mushrooms.\u00a0 Chashu is both roast pork loin and belly and was quite good, with a pinkish middle in the loin.\u00a0 But the shop’s best chashu, a slab of grilled and then chopped pork shoulder that tastes like charcoal-grilled chicken wings, is only reserved for the Inaniwa ramen that also appears on the menu.<\/p>

On the Inaniwa ramen:<\/b> The Inaniwa ramen, which along with the chashu is a reason to re-visit Shichisai, takes its name from the Inaniwa udon style from Akita prefecture.\u00a0 It’s thinner than typical udon noodles, but more importantly, is kneaded, aged, kneaded again to take in air bubbles for chew, and then dried.\u00a0 It’s unclear if Shichisai makes its own Inaniwa ramen noodles, but according\u00a0 to Sato Yoetsu<\/a>, an Akita company that makes Inaniwa-style udon and ramen noodles, the benefit of the drying makes for a much smoother-tasting noodle.\u00a0 Moreover, the thin noodles permit them to be served in a neat “noodle fold” block–see the Sato Yoetsu link for an example of a looser fold–that satisfies the fetish of a certain type of ramen enthusiast.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p><\/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
Shichisai | Aiyu (Grass Jelly)<\/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
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
On a lighter note, Shichisai also offers Taiwanese aiyu<\/i>\u00a0(\u611b\u7389, “grass jelly) as a dessert for only 100 yen, a veritable bargain given that the only other place in Tokyo I’ve found that offers it charges 4-5 times that price.\u00a0\u00a0<\/div>
\u00a0<\/div>
Shichisai’s hand-rolled Kitakata noodles, which should be its calling card, is surprisingly its greatest weakness.\u00a0 The problems aren’t with the Kitakata style itself; Michelin Bib Gourmand<\/a> awardee Mitsui (review already written) makes a wonderful rendition that is without the attendant lump-in-stomach problems.\u00a0 That said, its broth and chashu is excellent, and the Inaniwa bowl is very intriguing.\u00a0 A second location in Hatchobori well east of Tokyo Station opened in 2015, but the Saginomiya location has more of an old-school feel and has a more diverse menu that includes the Inaniwa ramen, so it’s more worthy of a visit.<\/div>
\u00a0<\/div>
Tier 3<\/a><\/b><\/div>
Q Factor: None (Weekend 1900)<\/div>
Sense:<\/div>
Prices: Kitakata Shoyu Ramen (\u00a5770) Medium Noodles (Free) Extra Chashu (\u00a5300) Aiyu (\u00a5100)<\/div>
\u00a0<\/div>
\u98df\u5802 \u4e03\u5f69<\/div>
\u3012165-0032 \u6771\u4eac\u90fd\u4e2d\u91ce\u533a\u9dfa\u5bae3-1-12<\/div>
Toritsu Kasei Station (Seibu Shinjuku Line)<\/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
\n\t\t\t