鮎ラーメンプラス (Ayu Ramen+ in Toranomon Hills, Tokyo)

0 Reviews

鮎ラーメンプラス

Ayu Ramen+ serves, as the name of the shop suggests, ayu ramen. Ayu is also called sweetfish, or Plecoglossus altivelis for you science guys and gals. It’s a native Japanese river fish eaten in the summer months. Ayu is considered a bit of a delicacy and you’ll see it at every high-end kaiseki restaurant for a couple of months a year. Suffice to say, ayu in ramen isn’t a normal occurrence.

Something that is a normal occurrence these days in Tokyo is all the new gourmet food halls. Almost every new skyscraper will allocate half a dozen or more spots for restaurants. This one in the newly developed Toranomon Hills is dubbed Toranomon Yokocho. Yokocho (横丁) literally means alleyway. In the past, Yokocho were grimey back streets with plastic folding tables and cheap eats. The Ebisu Yokocho is a famous one, but it’s a bit touristy. Head over to Kameido for an interesting one (which also has ramen).

In today’s world of gentrification, it should be no surprise that the yokocho moniker is hip and cool. Dubious yakitori spots selling inexpensive Hoppy drinks are replaced by ethnic cuisine and craft beer. The Toranomon Yokocho even has their own gin distillery.

They have two ramen shops as well. Ayu Ramen+ is one of those.

Get the ramen with a full fish on top. 鮎ゴトラーメン.

It’s a light shio ramen with a subtle fish flavor. The ayu is char-grilled, the most common way of preparing the fish in summers. You’ll find roadside shops around the countryside selling grilled ayu if you take a driving trip to the mountains.

Good bowl. Very visually appealing. The head shop in Futakotamagawa is a bit of a trek, so this local shop is great for people who don’t want to leave the city center.

The staff said the oysters were freshly shucked, but I watched them pull out some pre-shucked bivalves. I didn’t get sick, so I guess that’s a plus.

The menu also has ramen without the fish as well as some small plates. This is, after all, a yokocho where you are encouraged to drink heavily. It’s also good to mention that in yokocho fashion you can order from any restaurant and take it into the communal seating area to enjoy. Being a modern yokocho, just scan the QR code and order using your smartphone.

Fun place that had the potential to be the coolest spot in Tokyo until the pandemic hit.

Toranomon Yokocho site here.

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