Takayama Ramen
Hands down, one of the best bowls of ramen I had in Japan had to be the hia chuka in Takayama (EG may well disagree on this point though). The soup itself was shoyu based, which was simple, flavoursome and seasoned just right. The chashu (sliced pork) was lean and tender and the sliced green onion added a bit of bite. I must admit I have trouble finishing a heavy tonkotsu (porky) ramen, so this suited me just fine.
EG went a more wholesome bowl of goodness with a couple of extra slices of chashu (sliced pork), sliced egg, wakame (seaweed) and enoki mushrooms.
The kitchen was very small - just this Chef and his kitchenhand chopping, slicing, boiling, spooning, draining and plating. Economy of space is something they do so well, especially considering those stock pots took up half the space!
