Soranoiro - Nippon — Restaurant in Tokyo

First thing we did after getting off the Narita Express at Tokyo Station was make a direct bee line for the famous Ramen Street located inside the massive sprawling station.

Dragging our luggage with us, we easily and quickly found our destination thanks to some helpful locals. True to its name, Ramen Street was packed, shoulder to shoulder with so many Ramen places it was overwhelming.

We decided to do the safest thing and join the longest queue. So luggage in hand we squeezed into a narrow alleyway to wait with crowds.

Lucky we did, as @soranoiro.vege is famous for their Ramen made with graceful care in their kitchen, but especially because they are known for their vegan options. We ended up with both a Shio (salt) and Shoyu (soy) type ramen and dug in. We were amazed...it was leagues ahead of most places in Sydney. The broth was so hearty and flavourful, packed full of umami. But the biggest difference is definitely in the noodles, they had such amazing texture with much more bite than what we could get back home. Perhaps it's because they have fresher noodles or it was the local flour. It was almost ineffable but certainly delightful.

Truly a wonderful introduction to Japanese cuisine and true Tokyo...

Tried out Soranoiro Nippon nestled inside Tokyo Stations ramen street. Which is known for its veggie ramen which is vegan friendly. The amount of details that was put into the dining experience is impeccable. They provide you with hair bands to tie up your hair, aprons to prevent your clothes from being splashed from the soup, and a flask of cold water is placed on your table with a cup of ice water welcoming you at your seat. The vegetarian ramen is very fresh with the broth being made with carrots and other vegetables, it makes it very sweet, but too sweet for me to fully enjoy as a ramen. The noodles which were mixed with paprika had a nice bite to it and the various vegetables had their own part to play. The one that didn’t stand out for me were the sweet potatoes, it just made the fish sweet and cloying, I would have preferred another broccoli as that was so good. The basil barley also added a nice amount of savouriness to the dish. The soy milk based sauce was barely noticeable to me but the spicy paste by the side was a nice touch to accentuate the flavours and make the soup less sweet. Overall it is definitely something I would eat again on a day that I feel fat and sinful, but not...

Finding vegetarian ramen options in Tokyo can be a challenge especially if you are with a die-hard meat loving family. We came across this wonderful shop at the very end of Ramen Street in Basement B1 at Tokyo Station serving both vegetarian and regular ramen. Need to take tickets (cash) from the vending machine before entering. The button options are easy to follow as they are exactly as per the English menu. Veggie Ramen had a delicious broth with carrot based ramen and a smidge of hot sauce. It is a small/half a bowl. Tantan ramen was creamy, with sesame and fresh vegetables - a large bowl. We slurped these to the last drop 😉 Definitely worth visiting again.

A few tips for first timers - (a) if you are a large group it is better to enter as 2 or 3 together especially during lunch hour (b) there is a wire basket underneath your seat to keep your bags/caps etc (c) on the table you will find rubber bands to tie your hair (d) dried garlic flakes on the table are a must to add...