Hongare Chukasoba Gyorai / 本枯中華そば魚雷 - Korakuen

Hongare Chukasoba Gyorai (本枯中華そば魚雷), or just Gyorai, is a siphon ramen specialty shop in North of Tokyo, near Korakuen station and the Tokyo Dome.

*The entrance of ramen shop Hongare Chukasoba Gyorai*

The thing that draws in people to Gyorai is their very unique way to infuse their broth with fresh katsuobushi flavor right before serving. Katsuobushi is an interesting ingredient as you don't want it to steep for too long at too hot temperature in the broth, but you also don't want to infuse the flavor too far ahead of time, as the aroma is quite volatile and becomes muted if the broth is not served immediately. This is a unique challenge for all ramen shops that want to put katsuobushi flavor into the spotlight.

*Coffee siphons in action at different stages of the broth infusion process*

Gyorai has solved this issue by using coffee siphons, which are fill with the broth at the bottom and katsuobushi where the ground coffee would normally go. As with coffee, the broth gets pulled into the solids and then self strains once it cools down enough again. It's a genius application of this method and really makes the katsuobushi flavor shine in the final soup.

Soup and most toppings get served separately at Gyorai — *Ramen and most toppings get served separately at Gyorai*

If you go for the full spread option, you will get the soup and most of the toppings served separately. The portion of meat and bamboo menma is quite generous, so be aware of this if you are not super hungry. The toppings are definitely worth the money though.

*Delicate shoyu ramen soup at Gyorai, full of katsuobushi flavor*

The ramen soup is as you would imagine, very intense and fragrant with katsuobushi aroma. A delicate soy sauce seasoning does not cover too much of the delicate katsuobushi flavors and lets them shine fully. There is also decent richness from the chiyu chicken oil, which visibly accumulates at the top of the bowl.

*Pieces of coursely ground whole wheat are worked into the noodle dough*

The noodles have clearly visible specks of wheat, which gives them an interesting flavor and texture when chewing. I really liked how the complexity of the noodles worked together with the delicate soup.

*One of the pork belly chashu pieces, well seasoned and juicy despite the bit dry appearance*

You get 2 different types of chashu and 2 types of menma. Especially the bamboo tip type of menma is quite rare and has a bit of a unique soft texture, very different from regular menma.

*The well executed ajitama ramen egg at Gyorai*

The ajjitama seasoned egg is quite well prepared with a custardy interior and proper seasoning. I quite liked the egg at Gyorai and would recommend getting it.

*Bowl of aedama, extra seasoned noodles you can get for just 200 Yen.* ***Must get!***

The aedama is very rich and has chicken oil and katsuobushi tare at the bottom of the bowl, which you have to mix up with the noodles by yourself. The katsuobushi tare is quite interesting, as it is almost like a katsuobushi pesto, very thick and intense.

The ramen shop Gyorai is easily accessible via Korakuen station or Kasuga station, depending on which of the 4 train lines you use to get there. It is also basically a stone toss away from Tokyo Dome. If you find yourself in the area, a visit to Gyorai should be a no-brainer for every ramen fan out there.