Menya Shirakawa — Restaurant in Takayama

Menya Shirakawa specializes in a type of ramen that is not my favorite. By all accounts, though, they are preparing this in a way that is authentic to the region and I certainly observed great care and pride on the part of the staff and owner. I enjoyed a medium bowl that provided me with plenty for lunch. My wife and her friend really loved it, and while I did not discover a new favorite for my individual tastes, I did learn yet again about the many ways delicious ramen can show up. There is clearly some serious craft put into the potent broth, and the ingredients all yielded a pleasant texture and contribution to the dish's flavor while also creating a memorable taste.

This is a warm and cozy place that provides the same positive energy many of the places I've gone in Japan tend to offer. Also, like many such places, a long queue comes with the experience. One big difference for me, though, was that we received multiple apologies for the wait, even though one doesn't need to research much to learn that a long wait here is typical.

Final take: Strike up a good conversation or something and queue up. If you're in this area, you'll see countless food options, and they're rather good ones. Still, few enjoy the reputation of Menya Shirakawa, and it seems to me that this is well-deserved. The owner is very proud of the business, and he might even offer to take a picture of you, happily posing for one with...

Ramen has been one of my all-year-round go to dishes in Japan, but in winter and on a rainy day, there is nothing better than delicious hot ramen. Today was a rainy and cool day in early June and ramen was top of mind. Shirakawa Munehiro is a grand master at making ramen and the line in front of Menya-Shirakawa is a testament to the excellence of Hida Takayama noodles. The main choice is easy - large or medium size. The only other decision to make is whether you want an egg or not. All of the ordering is done while you are in line, so that when you are seated you are presented with an extraordinary bowl of deliciousness. The broth is dark and rich, but not heavy and very little oil floats on the surface. The fixings are a wonderful combination of mountain delights and the meat is hand grilled before being added to the ramen bowl. There are really no words to describe the noodle magic except I learned and expression from an wise women who was 108 at the time when I lived in Japan as a child --- she said 頬っぺたが落ちるほど美味しい (hoppeta ga ochiru hodo oishii) which translates as 'it is so delicious that your cheeks fall off.' Well my cheeks are still on the ground and I wish you all a delicious bowl of ramen in Takayama. In honor of Shirakawa-san I offer the following haiku. GH

Shirakawa's touch shines, Ramen dance in broth...

This place was freakin' delicious! Maybe I'm crazy, but it was the best ramen I've ever had. It was unique because the noodles were curly (maybe curly isn't the right description), but they had a very nice texture to them, and the broth was so complex. The bamboo. The chasu was very tasty and I don't even like chasu that much (wtf?! I know). And the green onions! Oh my... so much. So good. The egg was so flavorful. My wife and I sat at the bar and got to watch Mune (the owner) do his thing with speed and precision. These guys are rock stars. When we were waiting in line (right at opening so it didn't take long to get in), these guys walked up and greeted us all with such enthusiasm and appreciation. We sat directly in front of him and got to chat to him for a little bit. Very nice guy. Very nice crew. We would highly recommend it to anyone looking for some incredibly...