麺家いし川 (Menya Ishikawa in Shimbashi, Tokyo)

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麺家いし川

Ishikawa’s ramen is indicative of the area it resides. Office buildings mean office workers, and this is the kind of hearty bowl many of them love. Pork soup with fishy undertones and some thick noodles. Go omori with a side of rice in true salaryman fashion. Maybe even sneak in a quick 350 yen beer for lunch. I won’t tell the shacho!

For me, though, this was the wrong shop. Not wrong in that I didn’t like it, but I literally went to the wrong Ishikawa. An artisanal konbu fisherman from the northern reaches of Hokkaido told me that a shop in Tokyo, named Ishikawa, was using his premium konbu. This is special because his konbu was the type reserved for expensive Michelin 3-star restaurants where subtle flavors are key. I’m talking about Rishiri konbu. The short story is that most ramen shops use the more robust, umami-rich Rausu konbu or Ma konbu.

Imagine my surprise when I asked the master at Ishikawa about his konbu. He replied that his soup contains none of it, Rishi or Rausu or Ma. I mailed my konbu fisherman friend after and he informed me that it was a different Ishikawa that sources his product. The ramen hunt is endless.

This Ishikawa does ramen, tsukemen, and a soupless aemen. Like I said earlier, it’s a hearty bowl for the local workers. Unfortunately, I was expecting some ultra-refined broth with kodawari seeping out of every slurp.

Jasper feels my pain.

A few weeks and I made it to the other Ishikawa out in the western reaches of Tokyo. Stay tuned.

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