Enoshima Ramen Katase Shoten 江ノ島らぁ麺 片瀬商店 - Enoshima
Beach and good ramen rarely good hand in hand, even in Japan. Enoshima might have become one of the exceptions with actual great ramen within sight of the beach. Katase Shoten serves pure fish based ramen with locally sourced fish, which includes fresh fish as well as niboshi. I didn't even know that good niboshi from around Tokyo bay was a thing.
Great looking bowl of pure gritty niboshi ramen at Katase Shoten
The bowls served here are either based on pure niboshi broth or on a double soup, which is niboshi broth mixed with a fresh fish based broth (although they did not elaborate what fish they use).
Pure niboshi ramen with shoyu tare seasoning at Katase Shoten
After finishing my bowl I was handed one of their niboshi as a snack, after showing some interest in their methods. The sardine niboshi did not have a lot of bitterness, but rather a deep and lightly sweet flavor. Maybe I should see how I can source that stuff for myself! As seasoning, shoyu is offered for the pure niboshi broth, while both shoyu and shio are offered for the double soup. The menu also includes abura soba, tsukemen, mazesoba and some more esoteric options like a cold tomato based bowl.
Pulling some of the thick ramen noodles at Katase Shoten
The noodles are on the slightly thicked side and have a real good bite to them. They can easily stand against the quite impactful niboshi soup. The chashu was a quite lean piece of pork, which worked also well with the rich soup, the egg was classic ajitama fare, nothing noteworthy. If I ever visit again, I might probably go for some extra negi green onion, as it fits perfectly to niboshi ramen in general and I found the basic amount a bit insufficient.
The stylish front of Katase-Shoten, almost next to the Enoshima monorail station
Overall probably one of the best if not the best ramen around Enoshima. If you want to combine going to the beach or to Enoshima island itself with a bowl of ramen, Katase Shoten should be high on your list. The elderly owner couple will surely reward you with some good beach vibes and a proper bowl of ramen.
