Foodventures #1 - Ramen from Afuri & Fu Unji in Shinjuku

Hi Steemians - if you have read my introduceme post you'll know that I've recently travelled to Japan. When I think of Japan one of the first things that pop to mind is ramen (behind Pokemon and making peace signs). Now I’m not talking about the stuff that comes in packets – I mean real ramen; the stuff that dreams are made of! The beauty of ramen or just food in general in Japan is that most restaurants specialise in just the one thing. I'm going to kick off my foodventures covering my favourite bowls of ramen from my last trip.

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Afuri

Afuri is a chain that offer a lighter, more refreshing bowl of ramen. Their broth is chicken and dashi based and spiked with a healthy dose of yuzu, which is a Japanese citrus. It gives the broth a nice brightness and tang of acidity. Definitely worth trying as it’s very different to the commonly found rich tonkotsu style broths around Brisbane. I visited Afuri on two separate occasions – first to try the soup version, then the second to have the tsukemen.

Because I’m a sucker for spice I opted for the Yuzu Ratanmen – which is the spicy version with half an egg, smoky grilled chashu, mizuna, bamboo, white spring onions and a sheet of nori. Oh man, I wish I had ordered an extra serving of that chashu! Hitting the chashu on the grill fills the store with such a delicious aroma – I was salivating before I even had my bowl popped in front of me.

Round 2 with the Kara-Tsuyu Tsukemen. Tsukemen is dipping style ramen where you dip your noodles into the broth before shoving it all in your mouth – slurping of course because it’s only polite. Again I opted for the spicy version with chilli both on the noodles and in the dipping broth. I preferred this version to the Ratanmen, but I’m a sucker for cold noodles. If you enjoy your noodles having a firmer, chewier texture be sure to give tsukemen a go!

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Fu Unji

I shared an image of the tsukemen I had from Fu Unji in my first post. It was one of my favourite meals on the trip. While Fu Unji also serve up ramen, the tsukemen is by far the more popular choice - I went with the special dipping noodle. The broth can only be described as a flavourful umami bomb. It’s almost as thick as gravy, filled with chunks of chashu, bamboo, nori a full egg and topped with a spoonful of fishy umami powder. The noodles are thick and chewy, the perfect vessel for moving broth to mouth.

You know you’ve struck gold when you stumble upon a lengthy line of people patiently waiting in front of a small unassuming store. This is a meal worth waiting for.

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What are you favourite styles of ramen? Any must-visit joints for you in Japan? I'd love to hear about them and add them onto my list for my next trip!