Wandering around Senso-ji, we find ourselves hungry again. For a quick meal without leaving the area, for there is still so much to see and explore, we decide on Yoroiya, a noodle shop not far from the Hozomon Gate. Asakusa is the birthplace of shoyu ramen and Yoroiya makes an exemplary bowl.
The noodles and broth at this ramen-ya are made the way they used to be made in Asakusa in the 1960s. Yoroiya’s soup stock starts with a base of pork and chicken. Konbu (kelp), dried bonito flakes and dried sardines are added to level up the umami. Medium-width, curly noodles mean more of the unctuous broth seasoned with shoyu (soy sauce) sticks to every strand.
Yoroiya is also famous for using double-yolk eggs for their ajitama (seasoned soft boiled eggs), making each bowl a beauty to behold. Yet what lifts their shoyu ramen above the rest is the invisible use of yuzu. The noodles and soup may look heavy, but the Japanese citrus imparts a refreshing note. We slurp our bowls clean. Happiness is a good bowl of ramen.
Yoroiya Ramen 1-36-7, Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo, Japan