MENクライ (Men Kurai in Hamamatsucho)

0 Reviews

MENクライ

Oh boy, oh boy! If you like your noodles on the wild side, Men Kurai is one you have to check out. Their soupless bowl is a mix of fat, garlic, and carbs in the form of the thickest hand-cut noodles this side of the Arakawa River.

The menu has some shoyu ramen (醤油ラーメン) and a fishy iriko ramen (いりこラーメン), but the one I have to praise is the soupless abura soba (油そば). It’s a mix of noodles, oil, and a rich seasoning liquid. For an extra 100 yen you can throw in a decent-sized scoop of roasted garlic. Personally, I loved this addition, but the general consensus is that it is a bit too much in a bowl that already has a lot going for it.

These noodles are something else. Simply holding up more than two or three strands for a photo was quite difficult when dealing with such dense men. As always when it comes to aburasoba, mix the whole thing up and go to town.

Kodawari is deep here, especially when it comes to the noodles. They’re mega doughy. Some might compare them with really thick udon noodles, but they are more than that. A bit extra in the bite department.

The kodawari, the points the shop is proud about, are big on this one. Of course, the noodles are quite special, using Mochihime (もち姫) brand flour from Iwate. Chewey Princess brand flour? I’ve seen this brand used at other noodle-centric ramen shops with thick, chewy noodles. A special filter is used for the shop’s water. Natural soy sauce and clams from Aomori give enough umami, so there’s no need for added MSG. Special brand pork from Iwate is another kodawari point.

Look for my sticker up there as well. I hope next time I come I can catch the master chopping the noodles live. By the way, this shop is the second brand from Waka (中華そば和渦 TOKYO), a popular Shinagawa ramen shop that serves a refined shoyu style. I never would have guessed.

Official Twitter here.

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