ねいろ屋

I’d visited Neiroya in Ogikubo years ago, and felt it was time for a return. They had closed, but opened just across the small walking street they have always been on.

And, yes, they still serve shaved ice.

Always start with ramen. Actually, I have heard that かき氷オタク, shaved ice nerds, will eat a shaved ice, then ramen, then another shaved ice. Yes, shaved ice has some fans who search out good shops all over the country.

I went with the lemon ramen, a limited item, this time. Neiroya is constantly making limited bowls with a theme of local products. Lemons only really grow in one part of Japan, The Seto Inland Sea, and the limited space means that most of them are from small, organic farmers. Other citrus fruits thrive in Japan, but not lemons.

The regular bowls are shoyu using products from the Seto Sea, and a shio using free range chicken and pork.

The shaved ice menu is always seasonal, and this time grapes were in season. I had to look up these particular fruits, as I’d never heard of ピオーネ or スチューべン before.

Pione are a kind of grape used for rose wine, and Steuben are a dark variety that ripen shortly after Concord grapes.