中華ソバちゃるめ

Charume. ちゃるめ. It’s the name of the special horn used by nighttime noodle vendors in Japan. The word comes from the Portuguese charamela and makes the sound “doooo doo da doo da da doooo.” If you know you know. Want to learn about Japanese musical instruments? There’s a breakdown of all 643 here.

Iwase-san (岩瀬和巳) trained for seven years at Soranoiro. Nice to see you again! I’m always happy to see hard-working ramen dudes take their craft to another level. Going independent can be hard but with a few years under an established master, you know it’s going to help. Actually, the name of the shop is his nickname. A childhood friend dropped the “la” from Charumela because it sounded cuter!

Charume’s location has a particular draw. Only a few stops from Kojiya Station to Haneda International Airport means you could crush this one on your way to or from some larger adventure. Sure, you might have your luggage in tow, but I’d pick this ramen over airplane food any day.

Chukasoba (soy sauce), shio (salt), and mazesoba are joined by some limited choices. The upper left button, as is the case most of the time, is the one to order. Special chukasoba (特製中華ソバ).

The soup is a triple soup made from pork, chicken, and dried fish. The chicken bones are steamed before making the soup, a technique which locks in the flavor. Soy sauce is sourced from Yamato Shoyu Miso (ヤマト醤油味噌) in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture. Thier Hee-Shee-Hoe (ひしほ) fresh soy sauce is never heated and is made with all local soybeans and wheat.

The noodles are made specifically for Charume by Nakano Seimen (中野製麺) in Morioka City. All in all, this ramen is not so much in line with the current “gourmet” trends, instead focusing on a classic flavor that locals can enjoy. This “normal” ramen at Charume is included on the Tokyo Best 100 list. Congrats!

Official X here.

Ramen Adventures

Ramen Shop Reviews from Japan and Abroad

中華ソバちゃるめ (Charume in Kojiya, Tokyo)

ラーメン二郎横浜関内店 (Ramen Jiro in Kannai, Kanagawa)

中華蕎麦ひら井 (Hirai in Kokubunji, Tokyo)

中華ソバ ちゃるめ (Charume in Kojiya, Tokyo)

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ラーメン二郎 横浜関内店 (Ramen Jiro in Kannai, Kanagawa)

中華蕎麦 ひら井 (Hirai in Kokubunji, Tokyo)

中華ソバちゃるめ (Charume in Kojiya, Tokyo)

ラーメン二郎横浜関内店 (Ramen Jiro in Kannai, Kanagawa)

中華蕎麦ひら井 (Hirai in Kokubunji, Tokyo)