Locomotoring

This ramen shop is located close to Harajuku station. It is a kitchen gleaming in steel. You order via a vending machine.

AFURI signature “Yuzu Shio Ramen” with chicken & dashi based shio (salt) broth, yuzu (a citrus), half nitamago (boiled egg marinated in soy and spices), chashu (marinated and braised pork belly), mizuna (mustard greens), menma (fermented bamboo shoots), nori (toasted seaweed).

AFURI website tells us that the shop is named after Mt. Afuri, located at Tanzawa mountains in Kanagawa prefecture. As per legend, Mt. Afuri is father of Mt Fuji. Afuri is known for its sweet water, and used to be considered the sacred mountain for good harvest. And the philosophy of this ramen shop is to bring the sacred of Mt. Afuri to the food and service.

Although it was a vending machine buy, I sought help from the staff to help me substitute my wheat noodles with the (Konnyaku Men) yam noodles. The place was busy, but the service was friendly. I liked the sparsity of decor and the simplicity of the menu. I found the flavors pure and distinct. Broth was both light and unctuous. The lightness came from the addition of Yuzu and the unctuousness from addition of chicken fat. They offered an option of extra chicken fat as well. Bits of fried garlic added an occasional burst of robustness to the otherwise delicate flavor profile. My yam noodles tasted a mix of glass noodles and wheat noodles, it was perfectly chewy.

Perhaps I appreciated the simplicity because Harajuku assaults your senses with the overabundance of Kawaii.

From round 2,

Kara-tsuyu Tsukemen: The noodles are dipped in the chicken based broth. Sous vide chicken for protein in this case.