ラーメン英二 (Ramen Eiji in Fuchu, Tokyo)

0 Reviews

ラーメン英二

Occasionally, a Jiro-style shop does a soupless version of their garlic-laden beast. This is music to my ears, as it is my style of choice. Give me the garlic and give me the fat. You can keep that soup to yourself. Another perk is the liberal use of junky toppings. Cheese, raw eggs, and various flavor enhancers here I come!

I rode my motorcycle. Fuchu is a quick 20 minutes away if the traffic isn’t bad. If it’s rush hour, you’re gonna have a bad time. Tokyo traffic on the roads leading west can be rough, and it isn’t easy for a motorcycle to squeeze between the trucks.

After choosing your meal and toppings, you’ll get colored chips to give to the staff. Ramen, an extra charge to make it soupless, cheese, and mayu black garlic oil. Yes, these places all charge a bit more for the soupless styles. I don’t understand why. By the way, this is the mini ramen (ミニラーメン) on the menu. It still clocks in at 200 grams of noodles. For reference your standard ramen in Tokyo is 140 grams. Not so mini after all.

Glorious soupless Jiro. Mix it all up. It’s hard to see in the photo (my Fuji X-T20 camera’s autofocus has been acting up) but the seabura back fat is marinated in a soy sauce mix, giving it an amber color. On the left is some low-quality store-bought melty cheese and a dish of mayu, or burnt garlic oil. I tend to get every topping they offer to make each shop I visit unique. The toppings in the bowl are all free, while those sides cost a few extra yen.

Mix it up and go to work. The noodles are absolute monsters here. Thicker than any other Jiro-style I’ve had.

I don’t recommend consuming any of the liquid on its own. This is pork back fat and whatever lard they used to make the mayu along with a bit of leftover cheese. It sounds like something you want, and maybe you’ll enjoy the experience at the moment, but this is going to cause health concerns in the long run. Some shops offer a small bowl of white rice to sop it all up, but my advice is . . . you know what, you do you.

By the way, the call for the soupless ramen’s free toppings is garlic, pork back fat, fried onion bits, Korean seaweed, spice, katsuo powder, and negi onions. Oh, and there’s shrimp mayo hidden there somewhere as well. Go for it all. Extra アブラ of course.

A friend joined me and had the normal bowl. I told him not to drink the soup, but he went, got a spoon (Jiro spots don’t give you a spoon by default), and drank most of that liquid gold. I’m sure he felt awful the next day, as the soup at these places is pure pig lard.

Located a few blocks from Fuchu prison (府中刑務所).

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