BumBunBlauCafe with BeeHive

I came for the ramen, but I stayed for the kakigori. There are a handful of ramen shops that also serve Japanese shaved ice, called kakigori (かき氷). This sweet treat is the perfect dessert to follow ramen. At BumBunBlauCafe (yes, that is the name) you can have some hot and spicy tantanmen with a cold mountain of fruity ice to wash it down.

Their signup system makes no sense to me. If you sign up for their email newsletter you can get special fast pass tickets as well as some perks like being able to order the shaved ice before us normal folks. I know many readers of Ramen Adventures come here for an explanation of these things, but I just can’t decipher this place enough to give you a solid answer. You can check their Instagram for information. For me, I just rolled in and got a seat. They weren’t crowded.

The shoyu ramen is made with Hinai chickens (比内地鶏) cooked for over 10 hours. The noodles are green because of spirulina, a kind of superfood powder that ramen shops very occasionally use in the noodles. Although this one looked tasty, the next page of their menu hit me hard.

I’m a sucker for tantanmen, and this one with homemade XO sauce was screaming my name. The soup is also made with Jinhua ham (金華ハム), a luxury dried ingredient with deep meaty flavors.

Very much yum. Of course, this is Japan, and the spice levels are bearable. The high-quality sesame paste (their words) rounds out the hot and numbing spices.

Gochisosama. I liked this one a lot.

For the kakigori, you can have the staff Shimada-san make it or spend an extra 300 yen (330 yen with tax) to have the master called down. I guess Chef Saito is just handing out upstairs, waiting for the call to action. For me, I can’t imagine being able to tell much of a difference in quality between master and student. That said, many people say that all ramen tastes the same, so I’m sure one of Tokyo’s many kakigori hunters would know the finer details of shaved ice mastery.

I opted to save my money and let the normal staff make it for me. The flavor choices would prove to be a more difficult decision.

Strawberry, avocado, and pistachio all looked good.

Looking at this photo a few years later and I’m digging the mixed nuts one as well. It’s made with top-class eggs from Nagoya Kochin chickens. In the end, though, I was very, very happy with the pistachio. Although I more or less try and avoid sweets, I will partake in a good kakigori every two weeks or so.

Official site here.

Ramen Adventures

Ramen Shop Reviews from Japan and Abroad

BumBunBlauCafe with BeeHive in Hatanodai, Tokyo

麺座かたぶつ (Katabutsu in Aichi Prefecture)

地球の中華そば (Hoshino Chukasoba in Yokohama, Kanagawa)

こうや (Koya in Yotsuya)

BumBunBlauCafe with BeeHive in Hatanodai, Tokyo

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麺座 かたぶつ (Katabutsu in Aichi Prefecture)

地球の中華そば (Hoshino Chukasoba in Yokohama, Kanagawa)

こうや (Koya in Yotsuya)

麺座かたぶつ (Katabutsu in Aichi Prefecture)