There seems to be a few variations on Jigoku Ramen, but the most common
refers to Spicy Miso Ramen. Jigoku Ramen (地獄ラーメン) in Kita
Hiroshima, Hokkaido claims to be the originator of this style. This
shops also holds the Japanese Trademark to the "Jigoku Ramen" name.
Apparently there was a Spicy Ramen boom in the late 80's, and the owner decided to add togarashi to his Miso Ramen.
You can choose your level of spiciness. Jigoku Ramen shops typically use 1 chome (1丁目), 2 chome (2丁目), etc to denote level of spiciness. "Chome" is the numbering system for postal addresses. I have nooooo clue why Jigoku Ramen used this, but now most Jigoku Ramen shops employee this system.
The finished product at the original Jigoku Ramen looks like this:
The original Jigoku Ramen takes advantage of the Hokkaido seafood, however toppings do not define Jigoku Ramen. The only defining quality is togarashi in Miso broth. With no further ado, I went to the closest place I could find. Menya Sora in Daimon.
I've passed by this place for years. Their menu shows Miso, Shio, Shoyu, Jigoku Ramen, and Soupless Ramen. I'm from the school of thought that Ramen shops should focus on no more than one or two items and make them the best they can. Menya Sora had all the trappings of a mediocre shop.
I chose 2丁目 spicyness. This looked and tasted exactly like a normal bowl of Miso Ramen. Yellow Hokkaido style noodles. Tons of bean sprouts. A slightly spicy kick. Now I know why I avoided this place for years.
There is nothing wring with spicy Ramen but if you're going to do it, do it right. There are better ways to create unique spicy ramen without dumping a bunch of togarashi in soup and trademarking a name. I recommend Kikanbo in Kanda or Nakamoto in Itabashi. Jigoku Ramen is just laziness and I was pissed off at myself for eating this utterly uninspiring bowl.
Supleks Database
View Larger Map
No comments:
Post a Comment