Japan's favorite ramen chain is vanishing from Tokyo, but its ramen sauce ice cream is a must-try
We visit a local store to show support and end up falling in love with a bizarre dessert.
While ramen chain Ichiran often dominates social media feeds, it is Tenkaippin (literally 'best product under the heavens'), with its famously thick and rich ('kotteri') broth that holds the title of Japan's most popular ramen chain. So, you can imagine our shock when we learned that many of the stores in Tokyo are set to close on June 30.
According to a news report, the stores that will be closing include: Shibuya, Shinjuku West Exit, Ikebukuro West Exit, Tamachi, Meguro, Kichijoji, Kamata, Kawasaki, Ofuna, and Omiya East Exit.
Being a regular source of sustenance for some of our reporters, we became worried about the possible implications of this news, fearing this might be a sign of more closures to come. Feeling compelled to do something to help, we set out to a nearby store in Nakano in a show of support for the chain, and to get a good meal while we were there. However, we weren't prepared for our surprise encounter with a dessert that had quite an unusual pairing with ramen sauce.
Sitting in the restaurant, our eyes were drawn to a poster that raised many questions when we read it.
The name of the product, Kotteri Yukimi, seemed self-explanatory: Tenkaippin often uses the word 'kotteri' in its product names to refer to its rich broth, and 'yukimi' elicits the image of ice cream covered in a thin, chewy, rice cake layer, due to a popular Japanese ice cream dessert called Yukimi Daifuku. So far, so good, but looking at the picture and an accompanying note in the corner, it encourages pouring ramen sauce onto ice cream.
▼ The message says: 'If you pour a little ramen sauce onto it, it gets even tastier. Be careful not to add too much.'
Surely it's just a gimmick, right? It couldn't be that delicious, could it? Intrigued, we ordered one for 330 yen (US$2.30) to find out for ourselves.
It soon arrived on the table in an assemble-it-yourself configuration.
▼ The first step was to put the dessert into the provided zip-lock bag.
▼ Add some kinako (roasted soybean flour).
▼ And shake…
A simple, yet fun, process. Looking at the delightful balls sitting there in front of us, we couldn't resist the urge to pop one straight into our mouths, and sure enough it was as delicious as we had been expecting it to be.
We briefly contemplated eating the other two in the same manner, but our eyes kept being drawn back to that little message about ramen sauce, so we poured a few drops onto the ice cream, and nervously took a bite…
Amazing! The sauce combined with the surrounding kinako to bring out the sweetness of the ice cream with just the right hint of saltiness. The poster was not lying when it said it was more delicious with the ramen sauce: it was shockingly good. We apologized in our minds for doubting the store, and quickly enjoyed the last of our dessert.
Leaving the restaurant, we can't recommend Kotteri Yukimi strongly enough. However, the dessert is only available at select stores which, according to the website, are:
Kyoto Gojo Katsura Reboot, Route 1 Shimotoba, Kumiyama
Shiga Katata, Ogotohama, Toyosato, Karasaki, Zeze
Tokyo Koenji, Nakano
Saitama
Misato
Interestingly, none of the stores that will be closing are on the list, so we couldn't help but make a connection: could it be that the stores were closing because they weren't selling unique products like Kotteri Yukimi? It's unlikely to be the sole reason, but we think it's entirely plausible to say it could be a contributing factor.
With the recent report of Tenkaippin's closures, the stores will no doubt see a surge of visitors, but if you happen to be in the vicinity of one of the stores selling Kotteri Yukimi, be sure to give it a try.
Store information Tenkaippin Nakano-ten / 天下一品中野店 Address: Tokyo-to, Nakano-ku, Arai 1-9-3 Grace Hill TMY 101 東京都中野区新井1-9-3 グレースヒルＴＭＹ101 Open: 10:00 a.m.-11:30 p.m. (Fridays and Saturdays until 3:00 a.m.) Closed: Tuesdays
Website
Related: Tenkaippin, J-Cast News Article
Photos ©SoraNews24
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