世田谷磯野 (Setagaya Isono in Setagaya, Tokyo)

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世田谷磯野

In Japan, popular ramen shops open and close faster than any average human can slurp. This was the case with Kanda Isono (神田磯野). They shut down after almost 10 years, in 2017, much to the fan’s dismay. Three years later they are back in a new location, much to the fan’s delight.

It isn’t quite that simple. Master Ogasawara-san (小笠原誠さん) was born and raised in Hachinohe, a city in Aomori Prefecture up in the north of Japan. After graduating from culinary school, he worked at a local ramen shop. During this time, he met Minoru Sano, the ramen legend, and soon moved to Yokohama to work for Sano Ramen at the Shin Yokohama Ramen Museum. After a couple of years, he left to study yakitori and Japanese soba before opening his Kanda ramen shop. He closed in 2017, not because of health or financial reasons, but to develop new recipes using ingredients from the Tohoku region of Japan.

Now he is back with a new concept in Setagaya, Tokyo. Isono Shoyu Shinasoba. This is their zenbunose bowl with all the toppings. Shops with any connection to Minoru Sano tend to have great toppings.

Beautiful presentation. A blue countertop with a white and blue bowl. A bit of green from the sea lettuce. An obviously tasty egg. Go for the special bowl here. You won’t be disappointed with the extra toppings.

The soup is a mix of specialty chicken, with Nagoya Cochin being the star.

The soy sauce comes from Iwate Prefecture. Iwate Maru Murasaki (岩手丸むらさき) from Yagisawa Shoten (八木澤商店) has been in production since Edo times (1603 to 1867). This is some serious stuff.

Noodles are made with wheat from Iwate that has been kneaded with Nagoya Cochin eggs for some extra flavor. And of course, the egg is high-end Nagoya Cochin as well. Perfect. Many ramen shops either break even or lose money with these eggs. They ain’t cheap!

Official Facebook page here.

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