Tsukemen@ Tai-Shio Soba, Fukuoka Airport, Fukuoka

It is not often that you have ramen in an airport. They tend to be somewhat bland and uninspiring. However, if you do have the chance in trying out the wares in Fukuoka Airport, you will be sorely mistaken in having such a mindset.

Oh a line! Well, lucky I was able to get to my flight on time.

I had to make an impromptu work trip to Tokyo during a Monday afternoon. So while I still have time for my flight, it was about lunch time and I have yet had any breakfast. Knowing that Ramen Runway in the domestic terminal would sort me out nicely, I went there without much hesitation looking something to keep me going for my flight. Most of the shops here are pretty good, however, they serve mainly tonkotsu. Seeing that I wanted something more unusual, I ended up in Tai-Shio Soba, which actually a ramen chain famous for their sea bream infused stock. Although a mainstay in the Tokyo ramen scene, I do not think I have seen one in Fukuoka. And seeing that they have mentaiko tsukemen, it was an immediate sell and I went straight right in. A bowl stood at a hefty 1210 yen. Definitely much higher than what I am used to! But since I am already here, might as well go all the way. 

Look at that dollop!

Despite the big price tag, this was absolutely worth it. Granted that this is tsukemen, you would need to note that the usual companions that come with a ramen bowl will not be present. They did provide slices of charsu, and of course a dollop of mentaiko. At first glance, it seems like a bit of a stingy move in providing such a small spoonful. But when the slurping began, everything made sense. 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and to me, it was gorgeous!

The broth itself was already very strong and flavourful. The strong seafood aroma that it is famous fore came in spades. Also at the bottom of the tsukemen broth actually had salty caviar! It provided for a textural and flavour edge that I never saw coming. The mentaiko that I had was mixed into the broth. This then made the sticky elixir even more flavourful and added that pungent yet aromatic mentaiko aroma into the overall package. And with that , every slurp of the noodle were just simply incredible. Pure ecstasy? Well not quite, but it was rather delicious. 

Not wasting a single drop!

Since the broth is almost akin to liquid gold, it would be a waste not to clear it all down. So the shop does provide some clear broth to dilute the whole thing into a more palatable soup. And with a little mix, I downed the entire thing. 

Thickness to witness!

How about the other elements of the meal? Well the charshu is alright and it is what you can expect from a reputable shop. The noodles however, is worth noting There was that nutty all-wheat flavour that I always look for in any noodle bowl. The noodles were also chewy and had a thickness that would help withstand the slurping and broth dipping that may make everything go awry if the noodles are not up to the challenge. lets say the challenge was accepted and passed with flying colours. 

Front of the house. 

Overall, this is a pretty good bowl. Despite the high praise I did provide, this is a treat I would have once in a few months. Tsukemen is rather heavy and it is not something I can actually tolerate on a frequent basis. However, if you need something to eat and you have some time to kill at the airport, then this is an obvious choice. So if you fancy a go, its located at floor 3 of the domestic terminal.