Junren/Takadanobaba純連/高田馬場

 

I don't review a lot of miso ramen shops since it is not one of my favorite types. I find it significantly saltier than other types of ramen and the smell is sometimes not to my liking, the way some people find the smell of certain tonkotsu ramen shops unpleasant. However since Junren is one of the oldest and most consistently-highest ranked miso ramen shops, and it came recommended by a Japanese coworker who is aware of my preferences w/r/t ramen styles, I decided to give it a try. I went on a weekday vacation day, early in the afternoon, so as to hopefully not encounter a long line. Unfortunately this was not to be, and the line was about 15 people long outside, with two or three inside. Note that there is a sign on the sidewalk right outside the door, specifying that people lining up outside have to stay to one side of the sidewalk. Some woman who walked by reminded us of that forcefully. In any case I ended up getting the miso chashumen for 1150 yen. Large wrap-around counter inside with 5 guys working the kitchen. The miso taste itself was very good but salty, and I think it was a bit overpriced for the taste and the amount. Not a very thick miso, some miso ramens are very thick in texture. The pork was good but again not particularly special, cooking it more or grilling it would have made a big difference. I got the sense that a lot of the people on line were out-of-towners. Many people want to get the whole Sapporo miso experience with the corn and butter and all, that was just too much for me. I recommend getting either the extra menma, or the rice and dumping it in near the end to mix it up like a risotto.

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