麺創研かなで紅

Yes, this ramen shop is hot. Hot in the spicy sense, and hot in the good-and-popular sense.

The gorgeous wood paneling is a bit out of place in the not-so-gorgeous alley. You’ll likely pass a few other ramen shops on the way; dingy places that match better with the surroundings. Kurenai is open late, so you really have no excuse to visit the others.

Three types of miso ramen are on the menu. The standard is a 3-star red bowl. Drop down to the 1-star if you fear heat. Jump up to 5 if you love it. Apparently I love it.

You might think that something is wrong with your noodles. Big ones mixed with thin ones. Mixed with even bigger ones. And smaller ones. It’s downright confusing.

The homemade noodles come in 7 sizes. In what would often be considered a noodle no-no, all these sizes are thrown together in the pot. The result is a bit firm and a bit soft with every bite.

The heat of the 鬼紅, devil red, was intense. As expected, I received a warning when handing in the ticket. I also received some laughs as I drank 2 pitchers of water throughout the meal. But I finished every last noodle, every last bit of meat, every last vegetable.

Of which there was a lot. Kurenai prides itself on a massive volume of meat and vegetables (cabbage mostly). A menu option of double meat and double vegetables will yield a bowl with over half a kilo of toppings.

As an afterthought, the devil red was a bit much for me. The spices are choice, high-quality peppers, and the simple red, sans the devil, would be just enough to enjoy the balance. Go for the double meat and vegetables as well, you only live once.