Ramen @ Nagahama Number 1, Ramen Stadium, Canal City

 

 Living in the middle of Fukuoka City, I do come by to Canal City often to get my daily supplies and my occasional Gundam shopping. There is also one of my favourite budget sushi places here, more on that on a later date. However, it has been a long time since I been to Ramen Stadium. Having said that, it was a rainy evening and having a good bowl of hot broth will really hit the spot well. This is where Nagahama Number 1 comes in. But before we go deeper into that, perhaps some background on Ramen Stadium would be apt. 

I have returned!

Located at Floor 5 above the cinema, this area of the mall houses some of the best mainstays of the ramen world. Although we are in Fukuoka, there are various types of ramen from all across Japan. There is a shop that has Hokkaido miso ramen, there is also even a tomato ramen shop which also has my favourite soy milk ramen (yes it works!), the choices are pretty much almost endless. But as we are in the dead center of tonkotsu country, the classic pork bone broth takes the cake, in a literal sense as most of the shops there have that as their main specialty. Having said that, each shop has its own recipe and different ways of spinning it, that is worth trying a few and see what you like. As for me, my return has brought me to Nagahama Number 1. 

Ah the old faithful. 

Established in 1971, the shop's tonkotsu broth is carefully cooked inside the restaurant. Using the classic method of boiling bones vigorously for long period, while alternating heat levels from time to time, this establishment prides itself in getting the best broth possible. Well, if you have "Number 1" in your name, I bet you need the goods to back that up!In fact, the Hong Kong branch was awarded a Michelin award, and they have 8 other branches around Japan. So that is seems like some good pedigree. But if you want to really know how it is like, you have to actually taste it right? And being very hungry, I got myself the "legend bowl" standing at 1100 yen which has all the toppings.

Perfection? Not quite, but still amazing. 

I was surprised that I was the only customer here at the time. I guess the rain really as a hindrance. But it is good for me as the food came relatively quick. And oh boy what a beauty it was. The bowl had all the important points down very well. It was so loaded and inviting and was joy at first slurp of soup.

Liquid gold

 The texture was rich and sinful, but not overly fatty. it went down relatively fast and it had a nice mouthfeel to it. It had a pork aroma but not like an overcooked bacon, if you know what I mean. It also had a nice aftertaste, like you just had the fat of a prime pork sausage. Imagine that in the form of a soup. Now that was great. 

Majestic

 The thin noodles had a great deal of bounce and had a nice bite. it was very close to an al dente angel hair. The soup also clung on like a jealous lover, making each strand very flavourful. As such, having a slightly thick soup make so much sense as it will help the adhesion of the powerful broth to the vessel of flavour that is the noodles. 

Like a setting sun

How about the other parts of the noodles? They were pretty decent too. The charshu was a total star, which it trying to keep its shape but about to fall off at the same time. It has a nice flavour but not too salty or sweet like some places. Some people may complain about this but as the soup is already so punchy, this was a good move as not to cross effect with the flavours and fattiness of the soup. A walloping of green onions and pickled mustard leaves really help provide a fresh kick to the overall bowl and help cut through the fat. The eggs were good too although the marinade did not fully penetrate into the yolk. Still decent though. 

Feel free to use the condiments if you fancy.
You can also asked for minced garlic from the staff.

Overall, this bowl hit all the spots and one of the better ones I had in a long time. Was this the perfect bowl? Perhaps, there are some parts that may need some adjustments but I have no qualms just taking it down as it is. And with relative ease. Regardless, this was a good reintroduction to Ramen Stadium for me and I am looking forward to trying out the other noodles that are in store in this part of town. So if you would like to try this amazing bowl, or any of the other establishments in Ramen Stadium, just head on to Canal City and you would be on your way in no time. 

Front of the house.