Fish Ramen @ Menya Kaijin, Shinjuku, Tokyo

 

Menya Kaijin has been a local recommendation for the longest time. Despite being a noodle-crazed lunatic, it somehow missed my radar many times during my trips to Tokyo. Well, all of this will change today. 

So many signatures! They must be pretty famous!

Kaijin is famous for being an unconventional ramen joint. It serves fish-based noodles, which is quite unusual for ramen in itself. Fish does come into play as an ingredient for broths, but it being the only thing is something quite special in itself. I was there at 6pm on a Sunday, which was still kind of early. But a line was already in place. Lucky the turnaround was pretty quick and I was ushered to my seat 10 minutes after I arrived. However, a crowd soon formed once I sat down. You have been advised. 

Really looking forward to this

Their main attraction is their shio clear ramen which stood at 980 yen with a grilled onigiri. It seems to be the order of most of the patrons there. So if everyone is having it, it must be good right? And good was a clear understatement. The bowl was very clean and minimalist. Although this is not a bad thing. Each bowl comes with 2 fish balls and also some chopped chili, shisho leaf, and scallions. And this is one bowl where less is more. 

Noteworthy close up

Most people would like to see a bowl of ramen overflowing with toppings and a multitude of colourful oils on top. But this is not what Kaijin is about. The fish soup is extremely flavourful, but slightly delicate. It was the sweetness of the sea packed in every slurp but has the subtlety gentle breeze. As such, putting too much stuff in it like an ajitama or charshu will cancel out this amazing broth. You can still do that though if you like. 

Time for a good slurp. 

Due to this complex broth, the noodles were specially made to compliment them. Made with two types of flour and charcoal distilled water, it was made slightly thinner than your usual strands. This allows the soup to penetrate the noodles easier, giving it an interesting bite and a more slippery slurping experience. 

Bouncy!

The fish balls that were the toppings were also really tasty. With each bite, you can definitely feel that this was handmade. The fish balls themselves were supple and toothsome, yet has a great sense of balance. If the broth is the sea, then the fish balls are the waves that complete this oceanic masterpiece. I am not sure if my choice of words even made sense, but it was how I felt having this down. 

This is actually really good. 

And if you are really hungry (like me that day), you can order a grilled onigiri which you can crumble and eat with the excess soup that you have. It works like a seafood congee and I thoroughly enjoy it. It would be a shame to waste that golden nectar which is the soup. So this definitely helped me clear everything down. 

No better endorsement. 

If you are a fan of seafood, noodles or good food in general, this is one shop that needs to be on your list. It is just 5 minutes walk from Shinjuku station and it is pretty easy to get to. Also, this is one of the few ramen joints that is halal. So for Muslim readers out there, this is worth noting. So, if you fancy giving Kaijin a go, then the address is as follows:

〒160-0022 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Shinjuku, 3 Chome−35−7 Sanraku Building 2F

Located at the 2nd floor here. You can't miss it.