Motenashi Kuroki (饗 くろ喜) is celebrated for its modern, satisfying shio ramen. The ramen at this Akihabara shop is even listed in the Michelin Bib Gourmand Guide for Tokyo.
The owner at Motenashi Kuroki spent his culinary career immersed in Japanese French cuisine before branching out on his own. His ramen definitely has a contemporary feel to it.
Motenashi Kuroki – The Shio Lowdown
They’re most famous for their shio (salt) ramen. It’s a bold (and salty) blend of 5 salts, including Mongolian rock salt and seaweed salt.
The broth has a sticky rich flavor coming from whole chickens – three types from around the country. Furthermore, the soup has pork, Raus kelp, and some fish. The fish includes Pacific saury, grilled flying fish, asari clams, and niboshi (dried sardines).
Additionally, the toppings are a tour of the country – chicken chashu from Kyoto, menma (bamboo shoots) from Fukuoka, and a ridiculous amount of Kyoto kujo negi (spring onions). The dried tomato from Kochi is a contemporary delight.
Choose from 2 types of wholewheat flour noodles – thin (hosomen) or temomi-men (hand-massaged). The hosomen are a blend of wheat from Hokkaido, Fukuoka, and Miyagi. The thicker temomi-men are from 2 types of wheat, via Fukuoka (different wheat from above) and Hokkaido.
Other Choices for Ramen
Besides the shio, they have shoyu ramen, tsukemen (dipping ramen), abura soba (soupless ramen), and regular specials. But definitely start with the shio ramen. It’s one of the best in Tokyo.
Motenashi Kuroki is a popular ramen shop – make sure to visit during odd hours! Also, worry not – they have an English menu that can be grabbed in the queue. But note you’ll still be ordering from the ticket machine (in Japanese).
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