らーめん鱗西中島店

Another shop in the Top 50, another shop I had to hit before the year runs out.

One thing I like about this list is the variety. Online user rankings tend to favor heavy soups, and they tend to favor Tokyo over anywhere else. This list is Tokyo-heavy, for sure, but they really represent the rest of the country well.

Uroko is all about shio. This shop is relatively new, and an offshoot of あす流 (Asuryu), another popular shop in Osaka. And while most shio is considered light and delicate, Uroko goes full-Osaka on this one.

Sure, the soup is light. It’s a clear chicken and dried fish deal, much like the shio found elsewhere in Japan. What sets it apart is what you see on top. A heavy layer of seabura pork back fat and a sprinkling of dried bonito flakes. Two of my favorite things. You get your umami, and you get your thick, fatty mouthfeel.