New Years 2021 Ramen at Nagi Day Three

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ラーメン凪西尾中華そば

The 3rd day of Nagi’s New Year ramen festa had the classic Nishio bowl. This was one of my favorite bowls of all time when he had his shop out in Komagome circa 2010. When it closed, a little part of the ramen world closed with it. Fortunately, Nishio-san remained with the Nagi group as more of a behind-the-scenes player, and his ramen makes an appearance now and then.

Nothing like a shot of tequila at 11 in the morning. Nishio-san loves the stuff.

What is it about this bowl? For one thing, the roast chashu is tops.

Almost Chinese-style. The roasting gives it a smoky flavor.

The soup has a subtle aroma. I love huffing the stuff.

Ummmm . . .

There it is. I used to visit Nishio Chukasoba in Komagome two or three times a month when I lived in the area. I’ll never forget the noodles made with ground corn. It’s only a small percentage, but again with the aroma. A tiny sweetness in every bite. For the New Year limited bowl, he threw in a few strands of red noodles. Slurp a special noodle to have luck for the coming year.

By the way, Nishio-san released an insane ramen encyclopedia. It’s only in Japanese at the moment, but it is basically a must-have for ramen nerds. Buy it here:

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