What makes a Japanese restaurant famous? I asked myself this question when I visited Houraiken – a ramen noodle shop in Kofu that has been around for 39 years and is proud to boast many local and national awards for its food. I noticed, for instance, a first place win in a national “Grand Prix” last year, sponsored by Softbank Yahoo Japan. It was very impressive until I saw that there were 46 other first place winners. Nevertheless, first in Yamanashi Prefecture should count for something right?
I told myself that I wouldn't allow myself to be influenced by the reputation preceding this restaurant. My goal is always to provide as impartial a review as possible – though all the hype makes it much more challenging. I've said this before, but I'll say it again -- just because there are people queued up outside a restaurant doesn't mean it's a good restaurant – only a popular one. Houraiken has been featured on numerous Japanese television broadcasts and in many printed publications. I even own a “ramen guide to Yamanashi” that lists this place and makes mention of its fame. Another interesting note about this place, is that a number of retailers stock the Houraiken ramen home kit so you can make your own, authentic Houraiken ramen in the comfort of your own home without standing in line for the real deal. I'm not even going to touch the implications of that in my review other than mention that it can be purchased at the restaurant and at various other locations in Yamanashi for ￥1000 and it will feed up to four people.
My first attempt to review Houraiken was actually unsuccessful. It was going to be last week”s review, unfortunately I was not informed that they are, in fact closed on Tuesdays. These things happen, I suppose and I had to be happy with waiting until the following Wednesday. The location is fairly convenient, (walking distance from downtown Kofu) and armed with little more than the address and a map, I had no troubles finding it.
First impressions: Huge! This has to be by far the largest ramen shop I've been to in Japan. The front seating section alone has room for 24 people, with room for at least twice as many in the rear of the restaurant, seated on tatami mat floors, Japanese-style. One main feature of many ramen shops, the counter, is not so prominent here. The counter space is made to accommodate about six patrons, the focus here being mainly groups of people rather than individuals. The menu even seems to reflect this, with a number of dishes clearly made to share with friends. The décor was very nice... Clean, elegant earth tones, wood, tatami, matching wall colours and artwork all complement the motif. Adding to the cleanliness, a large sign on the front, sliding, glass door indicating a 100% SMOKE-FREE restaurant! Even if everything else were to be of average quality, this alone scores huge points in my books and makes a restaurant worthwhile to visit time and again!
Unlike the response I received the last time I asked someone “What are your specials?” the waiter was happy to point out their top seller – the soup that wins all the awards. To make things simple we ordered this (￥700), the chashu-men (sliced pork topping) variety (￥900) along with a side order of gyoza (dumplings) (￥500). Other varieties of ramen here include: tan-men (￥900) nikku (meat) soba (￥1150) and wan-tan men (￥800). Rice dishes available here include among others a sliced pork and rice dish for ￥750, other “soups”, yakisoba (￥700) and a large plate of sweet & sour pork meant to be shared for ￥1550. The most expensive item on the menu was a plate of meatballs for ￥1600, again meant for groups rather than individuals. The bar selection is standard, with draft beer for ￥600, sake, Japanese liquor, (both ranging in price) and soft drink or juice (￥200).
The ramen itself, when we received it, looked a lot like, well – ramen. There were no surprises in appearance. Green onion, fish cake, bamboo shoots, sliced pork and nori seaweed on top of homemade noodles. So then, why is Houraiken famous? Why does it win so many awards? The noodles are definitely hand-made and cooked slightly al dente, giving them a very natural taste. The soup broth is not salty, but slightly sweet, making it very pleasant and easy to eat without feeling like you're raising your blood pressure with every spoonful. Clearly, the pork was cooked in the broth for a long time, infusing its flavour quite nicely. The bamboo shoots despite their strange pink colour, had no evidence of the characteristic, barnyard aroma and flavour that I find very prevalent in this particular ingredient. When it comes to ramen, I tend to prefer either a good "tan-tan men" which is made with lots of sesame, or "tonkotsu" which has a white broth as opposed to a clear one. As far as regular ramen goes, this was in fact quite tasty. Was it "stand in line tasty?" No. But I generally have a problem waiting in queues in general. There is absolutely no reason why someone couldn't enjoy a bowl of ramen in this restaurant without waiting in line -- when we went, it was mostly empty... I think the lunch crowd is what makes this place jump.
The gyoza also worth mentioning, are quite large – much larger than the standard ones you see in supermarkets or chain restaurants. They reminded me of the Chinese-style gyoza I used to make at home years ago, with ground pork, carrots and ginger. Bonnie pointed out quite correctly, that for many, this alone would make a decent meal. I would only add some rice to that, and for 600 yen you would have a respectable lunch.
The real question here in reviewing this restaurant remains whether or not all the hoopla and commotion is apt and justified. Certainly, we enjoyed a very tasty meal that set us back ￥2,100 for two people, in very comfortable surroundings. I would indeed recommend for people to come and try it, if for no other reason but to find out what so many consider to be top-notch ramen.
Summary:
The Good: Famous local landmark (a great conversation starter when you tell people where you've been). Good food, excellent selection even for non-ramen lovers. Nice decor.
The bad: Prices slightly above average for this style of food/drink. Menus are all in kanji except for English headers. Not a "bad" thing per se, but since this is an English restaurant review Blog, I felt I should mention it.
Menu: Ramen, soba, rice dishes, sweet & sour pork (suu-buta), meatballs (nikku dango), gyoza (dumplings). Draft beer, Japanese liquor, soft drinks, juice.
Price Range: Food: ¥500-¥1600. Drinks: ¥200 and up. ¥600 for beer.
Smoking: No, no and NO! Big sign on the door marks this as a non-smoking establishment!
Recommended?: Yes.
Details:
Houraiken
Tel. 055-233-2458
Address. Kofu City, Chuo 4-12-28
Hours: 1130-1430; 1730-2100 daily; closed Tuesdays
Languages spoken: Japanese only.
Parking: Yes. 18 spaces.
