It’s very rare that Hubs suggests we eat ramen whenever I ask him where we’ll have our late night dinner. Hence whenever he suggests so, I almost always say yes.

My favourite ramen place is Yoshimuraya in Yokohama but that is still a station and a 10min walk away, hence we decided to go for Ichiran, the closest one and my second favourite, at least within Yokohama and Sakuragicho.

Ichiran, which serves tonkotsu ramen (pork bone broth), is quite unique from other ramen places however. For a number of reasons.

Back when we’ve just discovered the place, we were laughing on how it felt like we were having an exam. After ordering on the machine right at the entrance, once seated, you have to fill up a sheet for the kind of ramen specs you want to have.

Once you’re done answering your sheet, you can then “submit” it to the staff so they will cook your ramen the way you want it too.

Almost always, I have the firm noodles, half-clove garlic, no scallions, only half serving of their secret sauce and with pork of course. Would have wanted eggs but theirs is only half cooked so me and baby can’t eat it. I was also a nori monster before but I found myself not liking its smell now that I’m preggers. 😀

Once your ramen is done, they’ll leave you be as they close the bamboo curtain for your privacy. And indeed you can’t get any more private what with the cubicle for each customer. It’s really like taking an exam!

いただきます‼

From their poster, Ichiran also have a branch in Manhattan, New York. But after having ramen in Manila and Singapore and it being far from the real Japanese thing, I’m not sure if the Ichiran in NY tastes the same as the Sakuragicho Ichiran. 🙂 Even the ramen in the Ippudo in Kyushu, where the original Ippudo resto is, is different from Yokohama Ippudo!