Mendokoro Honda is located under the elevated train tracks of JR Sobu Line next to Yodobashi Camera. Conveniently located just a 1-minute walk from JR Akihabara Station, this ramen joint constantly draws throngs of people.
While Mendokoro Honda serves shoyu (soy sauce), shio (salt) and shirunashi tantanmen (soup-less dan dan noodles), the house specialty is shoyu. Yuki Honda, the owner chef, knows his way around ramen having gone solo at the age of 21. After honing his skills for little over a decade in Higashi-Jujo, a city in northern Tokyo, chef Honda confidently relocated to Akihabara in April 2020 in the wake of Covid-19.
The signature shoyu ramen is topped with pork shoulder, pork loin, chiken chashu, bamboo shoots, chopped green onions, ajitama (soft boiled egg), and several sheets of dried seaweed. The broth is seemingly a mixture of jidori chicken, pork, dried fish, dried bonito, and clams. Luscious noodles are made in-house using Haruyutaka flour from Hokkaido.
Mendokoro Honda has also gained a devoted following among Tsukemen enthusiasts. The noodles are elegantly folded and garnished with half-cut ajitama and a few sheets of dried seaweed. Salt and citrus are served on the side. First try eating the noodles alone without embellishments. The dish is completed in sequence by, first, sprinkling a little salt on the noodles, followed by squeezing some citrus on top, and, lastly, dipping the noodles in the broth.
Be warned that the omori (large size) portion is truly massive.
特製醤油をいただきました。コクがあるけど上品なスープはもちろん美味しいけど、なんと言っても驚きは三種類のチャーシューの旨さ。レアな感じの絶妙な柔らかさに驚きました。 Quote from Google Map Review
