Miso Ramen Kakitagawa Hibari - Ebisu Branch

This hidden gem is tucked away off the main street in the foyer of a building. It falls under the tree of the DoMiSo ramen family, and I had the pleasure of visiting DoMiSo in Ginza before coming here.

The restaurant itself is small, maybe 12 seats, and was staffed by one chef. They offered a few varities of ramen and tsukemen, but I usually try the house special when I go somewhere new. I was not disappointed.

The star of this dish was the "rare" chashu. It was sliced with a cold cut slicer that sat behind the counter. Before serving, the chef briefly flame-broiled the genetly folded pieces sitting atop the moyashi, yielding a texture similar to roast beef. The quick flame and broth produced a unique flavor combo that was deeply satisfying. I only wish the flame had come from wood instead of gas.

The toppings were moyashi, corn, what I think was nira, nori, a perfectly cooked soft boiled egg, and a small peppering or black sesame seeds. I usually don't like moyashi, but the amount added to the bowl wasn't enough to detract from the dish.

The miso seemed darker than other miso ramen bowls I've had. Perhaps that's what makes this Tokyo style. I also lesrned that they use peanut oil in the broth. The combination of the dark miso and oils had a deep, almost spicy flavor that left a slight bitter and sour aftertaste. It was very distinct from Sapporo style miso.

Overall, this was an excellent heavy bowl which I will happily eat again if I'm in the area.

Great ramen place serving unique and delicious flavours. I tried their Kelp water dipping miso noodles and it was simply delicious.
The staff speaks English and they also have an English menu making it easier to order.

With everything I had read about this place as well as the always long queue, I was expecting to be blown away. I had the JPY1300 special miso ramen bowl and found it good but nothing that blew my socks off. It was quite ordinary in my opinion. Just another bowl of Tokyo ramen.