Ichiran ramen 一蘭ラーメン review

Ichiran

It has been a long time since I have written a review for ramen... so here's to break the chain and let's get started!

Whenever I ask someone to give me a ramen recommendation, Ichiran ramen seems to always be one of the first answers. Whenever I passed by a Ichiran Ramen it is hard to miss because there is always a long line (long line = 20 people waiting). If you have been following me for a while, you will know just how much I  loathe lines and waiting. 

Ichiran 

A few weeks ago, I FINALLY had the opportunity to eat at Ichiran, the line was much shorter and I was really hungry. When I got near the front of the line, I had to order from a vending machine, I chose their best selling Tonkotsu Ramen (Pork Bone Broth Ramen). It cost ¥890. It is more expensive compared to other ramen shops but I was excited. 

I was then given 2 sheets of paper with a clipboard indicating how I wanted my ramen: everything from the texture of the ramen to the intensity of the flavour to how much garlic you want... etc. The whole process was very foreigner friendly and the staff tried to be as helpful as possible for first timers. 

I thought it would be interesting to take a picture about the info of their ramen. Once it was our turn to go inside, we were excited. The eating area contained booths for privacy. If you went with a friend, you can close the panels so you can talk. There was a window facing us and we had to give our ramen preference sheet and order from the vending machine to the person standing on the other side of the window. 

eating area and ramen

Once our ramen came, they would put shades so we can eat in private. It is also to call our server by touching a button (no pressing... just a light touch). The whole experience was very interesting and unique. We had unlimited water which we could help ourselves to.

impressions of ramen:

• very rich soup
• a very unique taste
• the bowl of ramen was much smaller than most ramens in Tokyo
• their special sauce was slightly spicy but added a really nice kick to the whole experience
• unlike most ramen shops, the meat was very fresh and tasty
• the noodles were very thin (Hakata style (博多))
• no egg :(

Ichiran's  (一蘭) Tonkotsu ramen 豚骨ラーメン屋らーめん　とんこつ

To put it simply: I liked it! despite it being slightly pricier and smaller quantity it was really tasty. I liked the overall experience and enjoyed eating ramen privately. 

I highly recommend their special sauce (the red sauce shown in the ramen picture) because it really intensified the flavour of the soup. It is spicy but tolerable. The next time I go, I plan to order 1 1/2 scoops of this sauce to make my ramen taste better. 

I was kind of disappointed that we had to pay for our own egg because this ramen is already slightly more expensive than most.

I finished!!!

I would definitely be coming back! I had a wonderful experience. It is slightly more expensive than most ramen shops in Tokyo and the quantity is much smaller... but the taste was really unique. It can satisfy your hunger. Most tourists come for the experience (eating privately) and it has become slightly commercialized... but the soup base/broth is definitely good. I also like that we were able to personalize our ramen!

Score: 8.5/10

Website: https://www.ichiran.co.jp/english/