麺屋彩音 ~Sign~ (Sign in Gotanda, Tokyo)

0 Reviews

麺屋彩音 ~Sign~

Sign is an interesting new ramen shop in the Gotanda area of Tokyo. Refined ramen matched with Japanese sake. This high-end concept means a price a few hundred yen more than you’re used to, but the ingredients and quality are worth the cost of admittance.

What really strikes me with Sign is that they had a special advisory board help with their recipes. The shoyu ramen was developed with advisory from Mitaka’s Sakurai (麺屋さくら井). The other bowls have advisors as well. Shio is from Yatagarasu (八咫烏) and the niboshi is from Tsuhiki (亀戸煮干中華そばつきひ). All top shops in the greater Tokyo area.

The menu is very large, with shoyu, shio, aburasoba, and some limited offerings. There is also an entire row of drink choices, notably the nihonshu, Japanese sake. Sign has sake for 350 yen, but for 450 yen you get premium pours. Premium nihonshu from makers like Aramasu and Jikon? This is unheard of at ramen shops.

For 1500 yen you get a tokusei (特製) special bowl of ramen and a matching glass of sake. Seems like a no-brainer.

Fueled by the thought of a drink, I also got their limited bowl of the month.

You generally won’t find Japanese sake, or at least a variety of quality sake, at ramen shops in Japan. The staff at Sign, though, are from sake-country Niigata. Soy sauce has a lot of umami, so why not pair it with umami-rich sake. Shio is sharp, so it goes well with dry sake. The niboshi ramen can be oily, so match it with something refreshing.

The ramen uses a blend of shoyu and specialty chicken, Daisen and Nagoya Kochin to be exact. The pork and chicken chashu are all cooked at low temperatures. Wontons are plump. Damn, this shop is legit.

Although I didn’t try them, the shio ramen and niboshi aburasoba are also recommended. The shio uses a blend of vinegar and various alcohols to add unique flavors to the ramen. Niboshi aburasoba is made lighter than the typical niboshi fare in Tokyo. A niboshi for everyone.

The limited bowl was so off-the-wall that I had to try it. It was called Shirakansu (シーラカンス) which is a nod to a Mr. Children song. Clear beef soup with truffle oil. A deep-fried half-cooked egg. Daikon radish with a cheesy mashed potato puree. Wine sauce. Beef tenderloin. I can only describe this one by literally listing the ingredients. Weird and fun. Not something I’d ever order again.

Apparently, the shop is named after a Mr. Children song. I know that Mr. Children is one of Japan’s mega-famous groups, but I’ve got nothing apart from that. Internet blogs say that the BGM inside Sign is all from them. There are many, many ramen shops in Japan that pay respect to musicians, and I always know nothing apart from “Oh, I’ve heard of them before.” Yes, I’m the guy who did a TV show with Yoshiki, the rock god, without having any idea who he was.

Their Twitter is here.

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