池麺 KING KONG

On an end of the year shopping adventure into Ikebukuro, ramen is a must. There are so many quality shops that it can be hard to choose. Luckily, King Kong is in every publication on the subject of ramen, due in part to their rookie status.

An August opening gets you noticed, but its the quality that keeps you going. So how about that quality. Will King Kong be climbing it’s way up the ramen ranking towers?

You bet. Everything about this tsukemen deserves consideration. I went with the king sized “King” version, which comes loaded with everything you could want. The herb grilled pork is succulent, and the extra pieces were devoured duly.

A lot of tonkotsu gyokai, fish and pork blends, have the same taste. King Kong’s soup is on the sweet side, thanks to the addition, of all things, blueberries in the soup.

It’s a subtleness that I’ve never seen before. Other fruits and berries are used as well. And even the tableside vinegar gets kicked up with lemon and apple.

The other aspect of fine ramen is of course the noodles. King Kong sources theirs from a good local spot. How local? Local enough to be delivered by an old guy riding a bicycle.