Ramen Hunter

On a car ride through Modesto recently, I decided to grab a bowl at Konfucious Eats. I paid my respects to the chef Ernie and lo and behold he is a listener of Ramen Hunter! After staring at his Yamato Richmen Noodle Machine sitting in the restaurant floor, I knew I had to hear his story.

Earnie got some of his friends to join the pod, so we're also blessed with the presence of Ryan from Oniyatai Ramen (Salem, OR) and Alan aka gamer.ramen, an up and coming Ramen creator. Hear their respective Ramen journeys, and how Ernie and Ryan got their hands on their Noodle Machines.

I was blown away by how much all the guys accomplished in such a short time, and their passion for all things Ramen. 

I saw an interesting tweet announcing a new Ramen Noodle company in the San Francisco Bay Area, and I had to investigate. Figured this would be a good time to talk specifically about noodles and give the listeners a taste of how complicated this rabbit hole is.

I enlisted Mike Satinover aka Ramen Lord to help me in our discussion with Shotaro Uchida-san of Iseya Craft Noodle. Uchida-san is gearing up to launch in April this year, and we wanted to hear his story.

Learn about the definitive ingredients that belong in any ramen noodle. Listen to Uchida-san and Ramen Lord discuss the different styles and techniques required. Learn about what equipment is involved. Learn the role of a "Seimenjo" or Noodle Producer in the Japan market.

Here's hoping you leave this episode with a deeper appreciation for the noodles in your bowl.


Ramen Lord
Iseya Craft Noodle

I got hit up by Shawn aka Ramen Fiend asking why I don't do an episode about Ramen Hunters in the US? This Schmoe was at a loss, and asked him to round up some friends to educate me on the Southern California Ramen scene.

Ramen Fiend is joined by Ramen Zac, and Raphael (aka Yolo), and they drop knowledge on the evolution of Ramen in Southern California.

Learn about the first dedicated Ramen shop that started in the 70's, along with the different trends that defined SoCal Ramen through the decades. The fellas share their top three must visit shops in the greater Los Angeles area, with the notable exclusion of Ramen Shack since that should be obvious to any self-respecting hunter.

All in all, a good chance to nerd out on an area I need to visit.


Ramen Fiend
Ramen Zac http://ramenzac.com/
Yolodiabetic

Honored to sit down with Hideyuki Yamashita-san, founder of Yamachan Ramen and a Ramen veteran with over 40 years of experience.

Yamashita-san shares the history of Nagasaki Champon, a style first served in 1907 at a shop called Shikairou. Learn how a chain called Ringer Hut took this style and made it famous across Japan. Hear about Yamashita-san's start in Ringer Hut Japan, and the journey to bring this chain to the US. 

We learn how Yamashita-san pivoted from Ringer Hut to his own brand,  Yamachan Ramen. He also shares details about his wholesale operations that supplies Ramen Shops all across North America. 

A fascinating story that is not to be missed!

*Apologies to Yamashita-san for the audio quality, as I did not get the levels properly adjusted

https://www.yamachanramen.com/

Ringer Hut operations
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kITfTbMyUhg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTjLR9ip-R4

Abram aka Ramen Beast and Cody aka Ramen Guide Japan are back on the pod to discuss another issue of Tokyo Ramen of the Year (TRY) 2021-2022 magazine rankings. 

Before getting into the magazine content, we discuss a recent tweet storm that sent the Tokyo Ramen scene ablaze. What is a Ramen "critic", and what value do they have for shop owners. What happens when critics cross a line?

We also into the new Tokyo Ramen of the Year (TRY) 2021-2022 magazine that dropped on 10/22. What do the fellas think of the rankings? Any controversial omissions? Is it worth your time and effort to visit some of these shops? Hear what Abram and Cody have to say, then come to your own conclusions

https://www.ramenguidejapan.com/
http://www.ramenbeast.com/

Joined by the Frank from 5AM and Brian of Ramen Adventures fame to discuss the Ramen Walker 2022 Tokyo guide. Brian is an annual contributor to the guide, so his input is invaluable.

First we get into recent slurps (1:34). We  discuss an update to the Tokyo Ramen Street in Tokyo Station (9:24). We also touch upon the growing trend of frozen ramen (12:02). I ask the guys their thoughts on the cancellation of the Dai Tsukemen Rahaku Event (17:21).

Brian's kicks off the Ramen Walker 2022 discussion (23:40). We get into the new shops featured (28:00). Later on we get into the various rankings (38:12) such as the Hall of Fame, New Shops, and General Rankings. Learn who made the Ramen Walker lists and feel free to agree or disagree with their choices.

The guys explain other parts of the guide (57:32) including the use of pop idols to highlight different ramen topics. We finish up by discussing how we use the information in the guide to brush up on our shop knowledge and get around town.

Guest Links:
http://www.ramenadventures.com/

https://5amramen.com/
https://www.instantramen.jp

Joined by the Ramen Hunting crew of Noodle Slurp, Ramen Guide Japan, and Nama Japan.  First we discuss recent slurps (1:44). We also get into Nama Japan's story (11:15) and learn about his website and YouTube channel. Later on, Ramen Guide Japan shares some secrets to increasing web traffic and sales on websites (19:49).

We get into the history of Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto (25:11), a Spicy Ramen chain that has a cult following. Noodle Slurp is THE expert in the English speaking world on Mouko Tanmen Nakamoto and he walks us through their story. The guys talk about the charismatic President, Shirane-san (29:40), and describe the bowls (33:10). Cody explains the difference between Tanmen, and Tantanmen (26:41), which some eaters get confused when visiting.

We touch upon Shirane-san's tight control over his Ramen brand (42:11) which includes some legal drama with a franchisee. Noodle Slurp breaks down the limited edition "gentei" bowls for us (46:55), and explains the spiciness levels (51:30). We also discuss the point system and merch you can get (1:01:31). Some customers go to extreme lengths to complete their collections.

Guest Links:
https://www.instagram.com/thenoodleslurp

https://www.ramenguidejapan.com/
https://www.instagram.com/ramenguidejapan/

https://www.namajapan.tv/
https://www.youtube.com/c/NamaJapan

Joined by friends of the pod, Abram Plaut and Keizo Shimamoto!  First we discuss Keizo's new position as Director of Innovation at Myojo Noodle (0:44) Abram also shares updates on MENSHO's activities in the US (9:00). The guys also discuss the new trend in Japan of Ramen Vending Machines with frozen noodle kits (15:13). Will this be a thing??

We get into the background of Kannana (33:40), a 50km road arcing around Tokyo  that is dotted with Ramen shops. This stretch of road heated up in the 80's in 90's, with legendary shops leaving their mark on the Ramen history.

Before jumping into shops on Kannana, we start with Hope Ken Honpo in Kichijoji (39:36), which introduced Tonkotsu Shoyu Ramen to Tokyo. We discuss how shops from the extended tree of Hope Ken Honpo went on to be major players in the Kannana boom. We get into Kannana legends Tosakko, OG Seabura Chacha-kei spot (47:20) and Nandenkanden (56:48). We also discuss present day Kannana and some notable shops (1:08:58).

Guest Links:

https://www.instagram.com/goramen/
https://www.myojousa.com/

http://www.ramenbeast.com/

Bizentei is a fantastic Ramen Shop that's been around since 1979. On a trip earlier this year I noticed a poster for "Come Back Anytime", an upcoming documentary about the shop. My curiosity was piqued, and reached out to Director John Daschbach and Producer Wataru Yamamoto to discuss their project.

John and Wataru share what inspired them to make the film, and give us wonderful stories about the Master Ueda-san and his wife. Bizentei has no successor so watch as Ueda-san lives life to the fullest before his shop disappears. Learn what makes Bizentei so compelling, and put it on your list when you visit Tokyo. 

"Come Back Anytime" is getting its world premier at the Hot Docs Documentary Film Festival on April 29th. If you are in Canada, check it out. If not, make sure to check out the "Come Back Anytime" website for updates on a wider release.


Guest links:
https://www.comebackanytime.com/
https://www.instagram.com/jdtokyo/
https://www.instagram.com/wattseywat/

A recent trip to the Yokohama Cup Noodles Museum inspired me to do an episode on instant noodles. Gathered up my old friend 5AM Ramen along with the greatest instant ramen expert in the world, Hans aka The Ramen Rater.

The guys talk about recent slurps (1:46) including a product that can best be described as "motel air conditioning" flavored (4:22). Hans tells us about his start as The Ramen Rater (13:00).

We dig into the life story of Ando Momofuku-san (24:12), the founder of Nissin Foods and the reason for instant ramen's success around the world. Learn about his trials and tribulations, and ultimately his breakthrough that changed the food world forever.

Guest links:
https://www.theramenrater.com/

https://5amramen.com/
https://www.instantramen.jp