Tsukemen @ Kirin Nakasu, Hakata, Fukuoka

 

Fukuoka is famed for its creamy tonkotsu. However, it is so abundant that many times I have friends that ask me if I have any suggestions besides tonkotsu. Luckily enough, I have been fortunate to find various different ramen spots, from fancy to outright deliciously amazing. However, I have not touched on tsukemen. Well, until now that is. 

Here we go!

Kirin Nakasu ( 中洲川端 きりん)  is a simple but well-known ramen spot in the Hakata area that serves hungry patrons the regular classics. Although they do have tonkotsu on the menu, their real star maker is the tsukemen. And it is the tsukemen that brought me here today. For the ones who are not in the know, tsukemen is a type of ramen dish, whereby the broth is fortified and served separately. The noodles are then dipped into the broth and you slurp your way from there. A bit more steps that the usual bowl, but when done right, it can lead to great results. 

What a motherload!

I got myself the 980 set with an egg as I was pretty hungry. It was a Thursday night after work and I really needed a carb recharge. Once I got the ticket from the machine, I eventually lead myself in and let the enjoyment begin. 

Loaded with hidden treasures

The serving was pretty bountiful. In terms of the dipping broth, there was obviously the egg, but it is also topped with a slice of charshu, spring onions, seaweed, and a good spoonful of bonito powder, adding more punch to this strong savoury nectar. Accompanying it was a delicious bowl of thick-cut noodles, which I believe was made in-house, as you can still see the husks in the strands. Not a common feature and it leads to a more earthy tone. 

Witness the thickness!

And it was pretty strong. It tasted like someone made a hot dog smoothie, but in a good way. The porky flavours were intense but that was not all. There are also hints of seafood in between. It would not be surprising if anchovies extract and more bonito were used in making this wondrous lava. But as it was so strong in terms of flavour, the noodles worked pretty well in balancing it out. The noodles themselves have their own flavour, which was nutty and earthy. Those aromas provided a complimentary counterbalance to the dipping broth, creating a delicious harmony out of two clashing components. Such a joy to slurp. No wonder the tsukemen is so famous here. 

Golden

However, the toppings are not bad too. The charshu tasted like a sou vides pork shoulder, which I believe it was. It was slightly bland but I think that is intentional, as the dipping broth works like a powerful sauce to bathe it in. This led to again, a delicious explosion. The egg was pretty decent too, with the yolk ending up looking like a setting sun. 

Pick your poison

On a side note, I recommend mixing up the flavours as you go along. There are various condiments by the counter and once you have finished half of what you have, why not add some variety? I added some garlic into my broth midway and it turned out to be much better than I thought. The broth was able to overpower the musky aftertaste of raw garlic, resulting in something much more pleasant. There was kimchi and pickles too, although I do not think they will fit pretty well. Also if you have extra broth, you can temper it with some clear broth provided by the kitchen, to help you finish off the rest. 

Gone! 

Overall, this was a very satisfying noodle dish. Long story short, if you love noodles, it would be a crime not to come here. I might do a revisit soon to try their other noodles in store. So why not give Kirin a go?  They are easy to get to, as they are not far away from Nakasu Kawabata station. Their address is as follows:

9-151 Kamikawabatamachi, Hakata Ward, Fukuoka, 812-0026

The first port of call, as always