ibuki

Got in line about 30 minutes before the store’s opening; only waited about 35 minutes as I was about 9^th in line.
Chuka Soba Ibuki’s «Mild Chuka Soba» (Tanrei Chuka Soba)
It’s really hard to ignore that first visual impression of the soup, which kind of looks like you’re staring into a bowl of muddy water, and I can imagine the strong astringent smell of niboshi (dried sardines) being a turn-​off for those that aren’t overly familiar with it.
But like most Japanese culinary magnum opi, the charm of Ibuki’s signature dish lies with the striking contrast and balance of contrasting flavors. Do yourself a favor and once you get the bowl in front if you, try scooping the soup from different parts of the bowl — you’ll swear that the onions they’re using are some sort of black magic vegetables that magically turn bitterness into mind-​numbing umami.
The noodles are skinny, but delightfully glutinous and chewy, again complementing the soup perfectly, and the fatty piece of og-​style chashuu will make you ponder for a split second if you want to jump in line one more time. Just a split second.
Though if this is supposed to be the «milder» of Ibuki’s soup offerings, I really wonder what their «richer» soup tastes like.
I also really like the laid-​back atmosphere Ibuki has going on. Unlike most other über popular ramen places, the host/​workers here don’t stare you down and wait on you patiently to finish your meal; instead what you’ll see here is the head chef really enjoying what he’s doing in the back, rocking out to old school Japanese hip-​hop, while the main server guy jokes around with the regular customers and the hostess balancing out their rough edges with her fine service. I definitely felt less intimidated here than the other ramen places I’ve been to, and would definitely be less adverse to bringing foreigners here than any other place.
中華そば伊吹の「淡麗中華そば」
スープの初印象はビジュアルがかなりドロっとしていること。確かに魚系の味が濃いが煮干しの出汁のようにも感じられ違いがよく分からない深い味。大量の煮干し含有(一杯付き200g+)がゆえに苦みとえぐみがやはりあるが、刻み玉ねぎから出てくる甘味がよく調和されていて「なんだ、この玉ねぎは？！」と思わせる不思議なハーモニー。
麺は細麺だが粉密度が高くて歯ごたえ抜群、トッピングはいたってシンプルな幻の刻み玉ねぎとちょっと油多めの古き良き中華屋さんのテッパンチャーシュー。
煮干し、恐るべし。