Soranoiro そらのいろ @ Tokyo

I come to Tokyo Station and try a different ramen every time I am in Tokyo. Unlike the Yokohama Ramen Museum where the portions are tasting size and you can try more varieties, these ramen stores served the authentic, original experience that you would get at their honten.

It is said that they are more than 10,000 ramen stores in Japan, but they can be generally be categorised by four major types, decided by the tare, or base flavor: shio (salt-based ramen), shoyu (soy sauce-based ramen), miso (fermented soybean paste-flavoured ramen), and tonkotsu (pork bone broth ramen). But non traditionalists have came up with more tares that included dried sardine base, seafood base, vegetarian to name a few. And every one of the major types is represented in this ramen street.

Since opening its first store in Kojimachi in 2011, Soranoiro そらのいろ has won numerous awards, including Michelin Bib Gourmand in the Tokyo Guide 2015. Created with the intention of providing a welcoming space for women wishing to eat alone, they offer a special menu that includes the healthy ベジソバ “Vegesoba” in which noodles with whole wheat flour is mixed with soy milk and mushroom soup, and 淡麗醤油らーめん Tanrei Shōyu Ramen, an incredibly popular dish that uses Amakusa Daiō 天草大王, the largest locally raised chickens in Japan.

Chef/Owner Chihiro Miyazaki cut his chops for eleven years, working (and, of course, chomping through bowls of ramens) in Japan, before he finally opened his own ramen shop, Soranoiro. According to Miyazaki, three key components make a delicious ramen — hot soup, well-cooked noodles, and fresh toppings. In additional to this, Miyazaki also believes that good hospitality, energy, and liveliness, both in terms of service and cooking the ramen, are very important.

One of their best seller is their そらのいろ スペシャル 醤油らーめん Sora no Iro Special Soy Sauce Ramen, which is particular about the ingredients and taste that can only be tasted at Tokyo Station. Whole Amakusa Daiō chicken, kelp, shiitake mushrooms, apples, etc. are used to make the soup stock. The shoyu tare is a special sauce that blends several types of soy sauce and seasonings, mainly the［生醤油］Raw Soy Sauce from 岡直三郎商店 Naosaburo Oka Shoten.

The boys decided to pull a prank on me by ordering double for all the toppings. Luckily, the 鶏ムネ肉 chicken breast is cooked using sous vide to retain the moisture and tenderness.

Each bowl comes with 吊るし焼き焼豚 grilled charsiu. And with the special, sous vide pork loin comes along with the rest of the toppings.

The egg was the only thing I didn’t like. Not just here, I just don’t like boiled eggs.

It is a smooth noodle with a high umami and aroma of 100% domestic wheat. I that a slight alkaline taste but I don’t mind that.

If you like chicken based soup, this is the shop for you. The shoyu was not overtly salty and balanced with the sticky mouthfeel of the chicken stock. But if you want something more robust, go for tonkotsu or miso based ramen.

Soranoiro NIPPON そらのいろ NIPPON @ Tokyo Ramen Street 東京ラーメンストリート
東京都千代田区丸の内１丁目９−１
Tel : +81 (03)-3211-7555

Visited Nov 2024

Michelin Tokyo Guide Bib Gourmand 2015-17