Ramen shop Hayashida (らぁ麺 はやし田) is the best choice for chicken ramen in Shinjuku. They also serve one of the best bowls of chicken ramen in all of Tokyo.
Hayashida comes from the INGS group, one of Tokyo's most successful ramen companies.
Hayashida's Go-To Chicken Shoyu Ramen
First-timers should order their signature ramen – shoyu (soy sauce) ramen. The shoyu taste is of course noticeable. But it’s the lip-smacking chicken oil and whole chicken goodness that flavors the broth the most.
This comes from Daisen dori, a premium fatty chicken. Furthermore, they use duck to add a gamey richness to the flavor.
A Trusty Sidekick – Nodoguro Ramen
Nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch) is a fatty white fish that’s popular in sushi form in Kanazawa prefecture. Hayashida has made a ramen out of this fish and it's recently become a permanent menu item.
The nodoguro adds a fishy sweetness to the broth and the chicken richness takes more of a backseat. They bring out the fish flavors via niboshi (dried and then boiled).
In this ramen dish, they also add diced onions to add more sweetness.
Noodles, Toppings
Everything about Hayashida’s ramen screams high-quality. Their thin and straight noodles are a blend of several wheat flours and they smoothly grace any broth they’re in.
Their egg topping is fantastic and their sweeter hosaki menma (bamboo shoots) are too. In the shoyu ramen, there are 2 types of chashu used. One is fatty pork shoulder, and the other is chicken breast. Both are carefully cooked on low heat.
Hayashida also has tsukemen (dipping ramen), maze soba (soupless ramen), and seasonal items like soupless tantanmen. But again, it’s their signature that attracts the most attention. It's arguably the best chicken ramen in Shinjuku and one of the best in Tokyo.