It’s not really good. Doesn’t taste like cheese. Doesn’t taste like anything, really. I even added processed cheese to give it more flavour. Also, I have a very low spice tolerance (I only use one or two drops of the buldak spicy paste when I make it) and there is almost imperceptible spice to this. Like my mouth is barely burning.

TLDR: it’s bland af. Tastes like nothing. Don’t buy it.

My current favorite local shoyu ramen!

This is the Special Shoyu Ramen (特製醤油ラーメン) from Marufuji Shokudo (まるふじ食堂), near Kotesashi Station（小手指駅）.

It comes with wontons, seared chashu, rare chashu, and a perfectly soft-boiled egg.

spicy and hot. 小皿の薬味全部入れたら辛くなりすぎて咽せた。味変できるのは楽しい。餃子食べる時に使った小皿の醤油+穀物酢+辣油を冷やしラーメンに後から入れる。案外美味い。
暑い夏の日は冷たいラーメンもイイ🍜✨

I did a lot of research and used a combination of various methods with what I thought made the most sense and a touch of my own cooking acumen. Soaked 24 hours and pre boiled and cleaned and then 12 hours of the various bones and fat at a roiling boil with aromatics added at the final hour of cooking. Shoyu tare made with light and dark soy sauce, mirin, sake, dried shittake, bonito, konbu, dried shrimp, and some dashes of fish sauce, and a sprinkleish of MSG. Eggs were tasty but need to figure out how to make the perfect one. Overall it was delicious and I’m very pleased. I got into this hobby because I had to move away from my favorite ramen shop, and sad to say nothing near me even gets close to it. I think I have though and I’m happy to be able to taste a strikingly similar beloved flavor to the one I have missed. I’ll work on continuing to perfect the recipe and taking prettier photos of it, but I was in a rush to serve others before things got cold. I welcome any tips or thoughts on how I might improve!

Chilled corn ramen (limited edition) from BIRIBIRI CRUSH MEN. Roast beef, figs, mashed potato for a mid-bowl flavor switch, and sweet corn — gorgeous presentation and packed with variety in every bite. This shop never misses

Had some delicious bowls of different Ramen styles on my recent trip across Hokkaido (Asahikawa, Sapporo Miso Ramen, Hakodate Salt Ramen). Last one is the delicious Tori Paitan from Oreno Ramen in Seoul.

Here is a natural, fluent English translation that preserves your personal tone, technical enthusiasm, and culinary terms:

I'll start by saying that the inspiration for this ramen came from Japan.

Not that I’m apologizing, but throughout the entire process, I wasn't entirely sure how the dish would be received.

That’s actually one of the things I love most about ramen: infinite flexibility within a clear framework.

The main inspiration for this dish hit me at a Gyoza Festival in Tokyo. Contrary to my initial intuition, I ordered Gorgonzola gyoza—a truly unique dish that completely blew my mind. From the very first bite, I knew exactly what kind of ramen I was going to make.

My second inspiration (for the noodles) came from Sapporo, though surprisingly not from a classic "Sapporo-style" ramen.

Ichi Ramen.

A tiny ramen shop in the city center—standing room only, run entirely by just one guy, serving incredible ramen. There, I was served a ramen packed with sakura ebi (sakura shrimp) paired with wide, ultra-thin noodles—surprisingly short Temomi noodles. It was a slightly different approach than what I was used to seeing, and it really opened my eyes.

So, to the point:

Noodles: Wide, thin, short Temomi noodles (38% hydration)

Tare: Simple Shio Tare

Dashi: Sakura shrimp Dashi

Broth: Tori Paitan broth

Toppings: Classic Ajitama (seasoned egg), skin-on chicken thighs pan-seared for crispness, scallions & red onion, leek oil, and a scoop of intense Gorgonzola butter.

Ajihen: Lime wedge

What do you think, would you give it a try?

Here’s what I had for lunch! 🍥 Everything was delicious, but the soft-boiled eggs stole the show hahah 😋