Ichiban Ichiban

3.83 Tabelog, 8x Top 100 Tokyo Ramen

Location: Machida, Tokyo

¥1400 手打特中華そば special shoyu wavy noodles + ¥150 2x extra wontons (special comes with 2x already so 4x in total)

Waited 40 mins on a regular sunday at 2pm. They are quite random with their opening dates so check their twitter for most up to date info, they do lunch only except for mondays where it's dinner only.

It's not my first visit but every time I come back I'm like yeah this is the shit. I don't even know what to say other than that this is pretty much the ultimate form of shirakawa style chuuka soba, everything from the soup to toppings to noodles are practically flawlessly executed.

The highlights for me are the handmade wavy noodles and the super fragrant chicken soup base, the noodles are of higher hydration kind so they are softer and absorbs more of the soup, the chicken oil clings to the surface while the inside is saturated with the soup making it a very satisfying bite. The soup has a slight smoky flavor that gives it an extra punch on top of the light shoyu, which gets smoothed out by the extra chicken oil, giving you a paradoxically rich yet light sensation. I personally actually wish the wontons had less filling but more of them so there's more of the skin to absorb the soup but that's just me ahah, they are absolutely delicious nonetheless. They don't offer extra noodles or kaedama which is unfortunate but I get that either would probably mess with the ratio and flavor, so wonton is the next closest thing. Everything else was equally as amazing even down to the extra thin and clean tasting menma, and the super well toasted nori, like seriously I don't know what kind of magic they did to them. Overall this style might not be my absolute all time favourite but objectively speaking this is one of the most well made bowl I've had.

If you ever find yourself on the yokohama JR line and like shoyu or better yet shirakawa handmade wavy noodle style, this is a must visit.