In the quiet neighbourhood of Shinjukyugyoen sits a humble ramen shop called Shinjukyugyoen Ramen Ouka. Its common, ordinary façade might deceive one into thinking that it is just another ramen shop, but come a little closer and you will see a small decal showing the word “Halal”.
For any muslim individual travelling around the world, coming across an eatery with the Halal sign is like finding a piece of home. This shop not only prepares special dishes for Muslim customers (like most other eateries stating that they are muslim-friendly), it is also fully certified by the Otsuka Mosque. Just slightly more than a year old, Ramen Ouka was opened on the 9th of September 2015 by Mashriq Wachi, a Japanese convert. The store has 10 staff in total to date - a good mix of Malaysians, Japanese and Indonesians.
This unpretentious eatery has a traditional wooden interior and seats about 15 people on high stools, all of which face the chef. They’re clearly tight on space, but then again aren’t most Japanese ramen stalls? The friendliness of the staff and their willingness to have conversations make up for it though. Classical music plays as customers stand in front of the order machine deciding what to eat. There are options you can choose from. The crowd favorite would have to be the Gozen Ramen, followed by the Spicy Noodle. After taking the receipt from the machine, pass it to the staff to confirm your order. Take a seat and admire the Japanese cutlery, and appreciate their attention to detail while waiting for your order to arrive. It only takes a short 5-10 minutes for your ramen to be served across the counter.
I ordered an Extra Large Gozen Ramen (which costs ¥1300,) foolishly thinking that the serving will be similar to that of instant cup noodles. How shocked I was when the gigantic bowl appeared in front of me! The ramen noodles are hand-made and are served with their special tomato sauce and sea bream stock. In addition to that, what makes it even tastier is the whipped yuzu (Japanese citrus fruit meringue) that goes on top of it all. This style of ramen is thought to be a real Japanese innovation by its customers.
The staff working there are all proficient in English and will gladly help you with ordering. They will even help you with how to eat your ramen like a true Japanese. The ramen is served along with with rice in a separate bowl, and chicken and soft-boiled egg as toppings. Once you are done with your ramen, you are encouraged to pour the soup into the bowl of rice to fully enjoy the taste.
Ramen Ouka mainly caters to lunch and dinner crowds. Expect to see not only locals but foreigners from around the world, especially from South-East Asia. If you are in the area (or not), do stop by for a quick bite, and taste a new ramen dish!
