ラーメン二郎横浜関内店

Although I’m not a mega-fan of Ramen Jiro, aka a Jirorian, I made it a mission to go to all of the top-ranked shops as well as all of the shops that serve soupless style. Kannai fits both criteria and might be my favorite one so far.

Since 2005, but they actually opened around the end of 2004.

Every Ramen Jiro has a line, and Kannai is no exception. Ramen Jiro has a system of training. Sure, you can open a Jiro-inspired shop with a yellow signboard, but if you want the Jiro name you need to work under the master Yamada-san for some time. The master at Kannai trained at the Tsurumi Jiro as well as the main shop in Mita. In turn, Kannai Jiro has spawned Shonan Fujisawa Jiro (湘南藤沢店) and Kameido store (亀戸店). The legacy will live on.

My order is small ramen, plus 80 yen to make it soupless, plus another 100 yen for some kimchi. Feel free to load it up with powdered cheese if that’s your jam. If I go back I’ll be going harder on the toppings. According to the shop’s Twitter, they have a secret topping almost every day. You gotta ask for it. Some examples are mustard mayo sauce, chili sauce, or corn. You can also ask for beni anytime for some pickled red ginger topping. More secrets for the ramen geeks.

I never understood why shops like this charge a little extra for soupless ramen, but they do. Jiro Kannai was one of the first to do the soupless thing.

Almost every Ramen Jiro (and Yokohama ie-kei style shop for that matter) has a vending machine with KURO or some other brand of high-fiber tea. You are welcome to buy one and bring it inside with you. This tea is supposed to help with the digestion of all the carbs and fat you are about to consume. Anecdotal research says that a bowl of Jiro ramen has around 1500 calories. That’s triple what you normally see.

Oh, baby. My quality of life increased once I started having my Jiro ramen with yassai nuki (no vegetables). This is part of the “call” at Jiro shops. When your ramen is being assembled, the staff will ask if you want garlic. “Ninniku hairimasuka?” This is code for your “call.” You should be ready with your reply. Delay for a mere second and you’ll look like a fool. Some shops might even yell at you, though those days seem to have passed. According to the Ramen Database, the calls are ninniku (garlic), yasai (vegetables), abura (pork backfat), karame (tare seasoning), and beni (ginger). ニンニク(有無)・ヤサイ(多め)・アブラ(多め)・カラメ(味濃いめ)・ベニ(紅生姜).

The kimchi made from nira (garlic chives) is a unique topping to this particular Jiro.

Fried onion and a couple of slices of pork chashu. As always, don’t go ordering extra slices of pork unless you know exactly what you are getting. Some Jiro shops serve absolute slabs of meat. Kannai was more on the normal size, but I couldn’t see myself eating more than two.

The garlic was strong in this one, so I doubled up my usual juice box regimen. Apples contain pectinase, an enzyme that significantly helps with the breakdown of sulfur. If you ever notice your breath and sweat stinking many hours after eating garlicky ramen, smashing some 100% apple juice will reduce this by a noticeable amount. I supplemented my usual with a seasonal winter juice box containing nine different fruits. You can get these at any convenience store in Japan.

Official Twitter here.

I also found this write-up from 2009. Ramen Tokyo was around even before Ramen Adventures. Good memories of the olden days of ramen blogging.

Ramen Adventures

Ramen Shop Reviews from Japan and Abroad

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

やきとり結火 (Yakitori Musubi in Otsuka, 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)

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やきとり結火 (Yakitori Musubi in Otsuka, 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)

中華ソバちゃるめ (Charume in Kojiya, Tokyo)