塚田農場

What is a ramen shop? If it is somewhere that has ramen on the menu, then this small chain of izakayas is a ramen shop. Otherwise, Tsukada Nojo is just a tasty place specializing in chicken from Miyazaki prefecture.

Tsukada Nojo highlights local cuisine from the south of Japan. Definitely not a famous area for ramen.

That is a nice way of saying that the toridashi tsukemen wasn’t that hot. And that was after drinking a whole bottle of Miyazaki shochu, a Japanese liquor made from sweet potatoes.

But the rest of the menu was fantastic.

にら釜玉 – Garlic chive topped with an egg yolk. That radioactive-orange yolk, mixing with the sharp ponzu and slightly bitter veggies was a standout dish.

地鶏炭火焼 – Local chicken fried with charcoal. This is the shop’s most famous order. The charcoal is supposed to not only add flavor, but health benefits as well.

地頭鶏たたき – Local chicken sashimi. This might be off the menu during the hotter months, but the rest of the year, raw chicken is on the menu in Japan. A wonderful texture that might remind you of fish, if you didn’t know.