Mentei Shimada / 麺亭しま田 - Ebisu

*Tokusei Niboshi Soba / 特性煮干しそば at Mentei Shimada in Ebisu*

Mentei Shimada is a refined shoyu and niboshi ramen restaurant right in the heart of Ebisu, serving great ramen bowls at an affordable price point. The shop opened in 2019 and is one of the first of a bunch of new great shops in the Ebisu area, which transformed Ebisu from a ramen desert to a ramen oasis within a few years.

You will find two main items on the menu: a refined chicken broth based shoyu ramen with all kinds of topping variations and a niboshi ramen bowl with the same topping options. They are also doing tsukemen variants of both bowls. Currently, there is a mazesoba take out bowl on the menu as well. Prices range from 800 Yen to 1000 Yen, which is definitely on the cheap side for the posh Ebisu area. Especially considering the refined type of bowl being served here, it’s almost a steal.

For my visit, I went with the tokusei niboshi soba, which means all available toppings in plenty quantity on top of the niboshi soup ramen bowl.

As soon as the bowl is put in front of you, an incredible chicken and niboshi aroma fills your nostrils. The soup is beautifully clear and yet full of niboshi flavor, without even a hint of bitterness. On top, you see pearls of, what I would guess is chiyu (chicken fat) aromatized with niboshi. The tare is made with shoyu, which does not surpress the niboshi too much and does not punch through with too much sourness. Just right to leave the main stage to the niboshi. Every slurp of the soup leaves a lingering aftertaste in your mouth that makes you crave for another spoonful. Good stuff.

Whole wheat flour noodles at Mentei Shimada with dark flour specks

Besides the soup, the noodles are a wonderful highlight. Made with at least partially whole wheat flour, you can see gritty dark specks along the noodles. The texture is accordingly very pleasant. They also have a certain own aroma to them, especially compared to regular white flour noodles, although less than at places like Mugi to Olive.

The toppings are well balanced and fit to the soup. The negi and quite sweet raw red onion provide some crunch at cut through the niboshi flavor to enable your tastebuds to reset for a moment. The menma are thick and well seasoned, very enjoyable. The chashu is prepared sous-vide and then layered onto the hot soup, so it keeps cooking and changing from the typical sous-vide pink. The egg is of the very dark orange kind, perfectly executed.

Overall I thought this ramen restaurant is a great addition to the ramen scene in Ebisu and definitely one of the top value shops in the area for refined bowls.