The restaurant is located in Kanamecho, only one train stop away from Ikebukuro Station. If you are making your way from JR Ikebukuro Station’s west exit, walk along Rikkyo-Dori in the direction of Rikkyo University. After passing the University, the restaurant will be visible on the left side before you reach Yamate-Dori Avenue.
Inside the restaurant, there are only nine seats at the L-shaped counter. A compact ticket vending machine next to the entrance greets guests. Ryuichiro Shinagawa, an owner chef, opened Chuka Soba Shinagawa in June 2013 as the second brand of a once popular Basso Drillman (now permanently closed). Many of the ingredients used are carefully selected from the southern part of Akita Prefecture, where chef Shinagawa was born and raised.
There are two signature ramen bowls: chuka soba, with a use of medium-thin noodles; and niboshi (dried sardine) soba, with a use of medium-thick noodles. The soy sauce based-soup is a combination of meat and seafood broth, including Hinai Jidori chicken, pork, clams, and kelp that goes well with smooth texture of the homemade noodles. Toppings consists of chashu pork slices, soft-boiled egg, green onions, bamboo shoots, and seaweed. Niboshi soba is characterized by its rich aroma, with a generous layer of seabura (pork back fat) floating on top, paired with chopped onions.
Be aware that, during dinner hours, the restaurant offers menus from the Basso Drillman days. The signature bowl is a soup-less style called Aburasso, based on spicy soy sauce tare (specialty sauce). The thick chewy noodles are topped with chashu (roasted pork slices), soft-boiled egg, seaweed, onions, leek, and bamboo shoots.
Although turnaround is relatively fast, you should expect to have to lineup and wait for an opening.
特製中華そばを食べてきました。コクと旨味が良い醤油スープと絶品のチャーシューが旨い。満足度が高いラーメンでした。 Quote from Google Map Review
Photographers:shinachuugram
