Ebikin Ramen [Closed]

Over in Tsukiji, Tokyo, and at their second store in Sapporo, Ebikin is doing exciting things with seafood and ramen – two things not commonly associated with each other but here working as a perfect combination.

Within earshot of the hustle and bustle of Tsukiji's fish market, Ebikin is a small ramen shop with big ambitions, specialising in prawn-powered bowls of ramen.

Their flagship item is Ebi-soba ('ebi' being Japanese for shrimp/prawn), which infuses the flavour of the healthy low-fat, high-protein shrimp into this dish in three different ways.

The shoyu-, or soy sauce-based, soup uses the equivalent of 50 ebi shrimps flavouring each serving, packing a punch even the mantis shrimp would be proud of.

The noodles, made on the second floor each day, are kneaded with the remaining dried shrimp flavours yielded when reducing the dashi soup over heat.

Served alongside egg, chopped spring onions and some slices of chicken, crispy sakura-ebi (small shrimps) are served on top to complete the dish.

The menu

Orders are placed by the ticket machine outside the shop by the front entrance, accompanied by clear images mitigating the lack of an English menu.

Besides Ebi-soba (¥780), other options are available, including Sapporo char siu pork and miso ebi-soba (¥930) and the dry, soupless ebi-maze-soba (¥780), using shrimp oil and shrimp miso to coat the noodles, which are mixed in with the toppings.

A variety of side dishes and even shrimp curry (¥680 or a mini version for ¥350) help round out the menu offerings.