麺行使伊駄天

Looking back at my (very) old postings on Ramen Adventures, I am both embarrassed by my writing and nostalgic about a time where I knew almost nothing about ramen. Idaten had a pop-up at the Tachikawa NY Ramen Square, and I went back in 2008. I went, I slurped, and I was surprised to learn that shoyu ramen can have a strong taste.

Fast forward half a decade . . .

They have been long gone from the Ramen Square, but the original shop in Shizuoka city is still popular.

Though the shoyu is still what most regulars order, I really wanted to see what the Teppen was. Billed as ご当地ラー麺, local ramen, I didn’t know what to expect. Shizuoka is famous for a few things, but how can green tea and oranges make it into a bowl of ramen?

Oh, and Mt. Fuji. Very cute.

Idaten make their own noodles, so it was easy to incorporate a little matcha powder into the mix. Though the soup was light, you really don’t get a massive tea flavor, just a slightly different texture.

And that chashu, well it was flavored with local mikan, a type of small Japanese orange. Interesting, for sure, though not something I will be getting again. Yes, this bowl is fun, but overshadowed by their regular menu.

Shizuoka city is a fantastic place for food. I’m not sure why, but this smallish town has more specialty gourmet, local sushi, and stylish cafes than any other comparable city in Japan.