Ramen Kai — Restaurant in Tokyo

Weather was nice and warm yesterday (Sunday) and we decided to head out towards Ueno to pay homage to the ancestors. Perfect opportunity to swing by Ramen Kai first for a late lunch, and see why they keep getting the accolade of making the list of Tablelog's top 100 Ramen shops for 6 out of the past 7 years! They serve lunch until 3pm so our arrival at 2:30pm was perfect timing as there was nobody waiting to enter the shop. We were instructed to enter the shop and order what we want from the ticket vending machine. I heard this store serves a clam based shio (salt) ramen, which is not common at all, and I had to try it! I chose "A - Zennbuiri Kaishio Ramen" for the slightly pricey amount of 1600 yen, but this is their flagship meal with all the toppings (2 slices of pork, 2 slices of chashu, seasoned egg, seaweed, and some veggies). I also opted to get the large size (大盛) which was an extra 150 yen.  My wife chose  "G - Ajitama Niboshi Tsukemen" for 1250 yen, which is a soupless ramen with a Dried sardine (noboshi) based dipping sauce on the side. We handed the tickets over to the worker who told us to wait outside for some spots to open up. Only had to wait a couple mins and we were invited back in to sit down.

Inside can seat about 10 patrons at a long bright wooden shellacked counter. In less than 5 minutes, our meals were served. Presentation was very nice, and the size of my order looked impressively large, so people who can't eat a lot might be slightly aback. After the few  obligatory pictures/videos, I tried the soup and WOW WOW WOW- what a really nice taste it had! Could definitely taste the clams, having the just right amount of brininess, but there was also a slight note of sweetness that could be noticed. I can understand why  so many people say they drink the entire bowl of this soup! How could you not?!?!? I then grabbed a bunch of the super wavey noodles and to try to explain how perfect these noodles are is what I am struggling with right now. You can tell they are hand-made and I think "al-dente" would best describe the springiness level that will make you fall in love with these noodles! My wife who can never finish "omori" sized ramens, actually asked the workers mid meal, if it would be possible for her to change her order to 大盛 size because she too LOVED these noodles. The workers obliged and we ponied up and additional 150 yen which was nice of them to accommodate our request, and few minutes later some extra noodles were handed over and vehemently slurped down 🙂  I can't stress how much we liked these noodles.

The meat that was included in my order paired perfectly and was just decadent. The chashu slices had just the right amount of fattiness, offering up a lovely juicy and oily goodness that complimented the soup, resulting in a perfect harmony of deliciousness. I can't think of anything negative about my meal and I earnestly can't wait to come back here once again.

I will say though, that I tried the niboshi tsukemen, and for me, the niboshi flavor was slightly on the strong side. For people who are really into a well pronounced sardine flavor, then you will love their tsukemen. But for those who might want a less "fishy" experience, then you would be best to try their salt clam ramen like I did, and I am confident you will absolutely love it...

While passing by a hotel, we stumbled upon a ramen shop that was listed as one of Tokyo's top 100 restaurants in 2020. One of the customers waiting in line noticed our hesitation and mentioned that the place was really good. Encouraged by this, we decided to give it a try and joined the queue. Following the instructions of the staff, we went inside to purchase tickets from a self-service machine before lining up outside again. The staff collected our tickets and asked us to wait for a while before we could be seated. The interior of the shop was small, but within a few minutes, we were able to enjoy piping hot bowls of ramen. We ordered the daily special - a rich and creamy oyster dipping ramen (¥1,400), which had a strong and flavorful oyster taste. The soft-boiled egg was also delicious. Additionally, we ordered the all-in-one salt-flavored ramen (¥1,450), which had a great texture and taste and the portion size was generous. The char siu pork was well-seasoned. Lastly, we had a serving of mentaiko rice (¥300), which was fragrant...

My friend who’s married to a Japanese brought me and my family here to try their clam broth ramen. This was their highly recommended ramen place.

The place was small, counter seating only; probably 8-10 chairs max. When the bowls (signature ramen) arrived it emanated a subtle scent of brininess that was pleasant to the olfactory senses. The broth was light yet had a punch of flavor, it had an umami unlike the other types of ramen I had before. The noodles were wavy and complimented the broth. It was excellent.

Even if the ramen serving was substantial enough, the lightness of the broth felt like you could eat more, and I tried their niboshi tsukemen. It too was excellent, one of the best bowls of tsukemen I had. Even if it was fish flavored it did not leave a fishy after taste that some tsukemwn would make you crave for a coke or a beer.

Ramen Kai lived up to the hype; spectacular food and efficient service. Our new favorite ramen...