Mugi to Olive / むぎとオリーブ - Ginza

Mugi to Olive (むぎとオリーブ) is one of the names often thrown around when the best shellfish ramen is discussed or when the best ramen restaurants in Ginza are listed. Mugi to Olive is famous for their use of hamaguri clam for their excellent broth. Recently their triple soup has seen some fame, which is a mix of the hamaguri clam broth, a chicken broth and a niboshi dashi.

The interior of the in 2014 opened ramen restaurant is on the more stylish and elegant side for a ramen shop, fitting well into the glitzy shopping district named Ginza in the heart of Tokyo. The name of the shop comes from their use of barley (mugi) in the noodles, which can distinctly be tasted when slurping their bowls. The second part comes from their use of olive oil as a condiment on the counter. The recommended way to enjoy this condiment is to eat halfway into your ramen bowl to get a good impression of the original flavors and aromas of your bowl of ramen and then to add a generous splash.

From beginning to end, from top to bottom, this bowl of ramen delivers top notch performance. The soup is filled with flavors and aromas, not in a very subtle way, more in a "punch you in the face" kind of way, without being too heavy. The soup is well paired with the aromatic and slurpy noodles, which have a nice bite to them. Even blended with 2 other soups, the hamaguri clam flavor still comes through, highlighted with the clams on top of the bowl. Two types of chashu flank the bunch of clams, one is juicy sous vide chicken and another is flavor packed sous vide pork. To top it all off, a bunch of herbs and a fishcake tied into a knot finish the picture. Oh, yes, and their egg is perfectly executed too.

*The noodles have barley (mugi) worked into them*

One oddity is the addition of "yamaimo" French fry looking sticks. Yamaimo is a type of Japanese yam, which is consistency wise a bit reminiscent of a potato, but much more slimy. Not really sure why this had to be added as a topping on the ramen, but here we are.

Overall, an absolute destination ramen bowl that can easily be recommended to everyone who does not hate clams or clam flavors.