Ramen Jiro Ogikubo-ten (ラーメン二郎荻窪店): Chuo Line Favorite; Ogikubo, Tokyo

Long time followers of mine know that I was quite the regular at the Fuchu branch of Ramen Jiro, but many of you probably don’t know that I was also an avid diner at this Ogikubo location which holds a pretty special place in my Jiro heart. Back when I graduated college, I decided to take on a variety of different gigs doing anything from interpreting to manning the bar in a rather upscale Ebisu restaurant. I had a pretty unusual schedule depending on what job I was doing that day and so it was pretty common for me to just grab a bite to eat at a local ramen shop on my way home. Well I spent a lot of time in Kichijoji and was already a full blown Jiro addict by then so I would be itching for a bowl probably once a week to get my fill. Well, if you take a look at the Jiro locations, you’ll see that there aren’t a lot located along this section of the Chuo line. Many of the Jiro shops are located in central Tokyo with a few speckled towards the outskirts so it was a no brainer to come here on my way home.

Pretty strict on the photo policy here so I could only snap some of the outside banner and my ramen, didn’t want to get yelled at taking a pic of the ticket machine. However, it’s a pretty simple menu so I’ll describe it here:

Ramen.

Yup, the entire first row is just Ramen and there is no differences between the three options, it’s all the same. First button on the second row is extra pork chashu Ramen which is, currently, 150 yen more (950 yen). Following the extra pork is an Ajitama egg topping, Raw egg, and on the third row is Negi. Order for the day was just regular ramen.

If you’ve been to a Jiro before, you know that there is a call for free toppings. No different here and my call for the day was Ninniku, Abura, or extra garlic and pork back fat. If you want a breakdown of what this call/free topping is, check out my review of Mita Honten, the original HQ location of Jiro. Anyways, pretty hefty bowl here and according to some Jirorians (Jiro obsessives/cult followers), it’s about 590g of noodles (mid tier), but a generous 174g of pork chashu, which is good for 6th out of 42. Ogikubo usually doubles the chashu amount for extra pork so be prepared for close to 1kg of food if you go for that option.

Soup is more emulsified than other Jiros, but it’s definitely not in the upper echelon, at least on my latest visit. I was rushing for photos so probably difficult to tell, but not a lot of separation between the broth and oil. When I was younger I had no problem crushing this once a week, but I would probably wreck myself trying to do that now. Pork flavors are really pungent here and, as you might be able to tell from the color, they don’t use a lot of kaeshi shoyu tare so not much for the pork to hide behind. They do however throw in a decent amount of umami enhancers so you’ll be left with that familiar, puckering sensation as you would with most Jiros. I personally really love this style since it fits the middle ground between high and low emulsification, but it can be the worst of two worlds for those who love one or the other.

Noodles are made in house and uses O-shon flour like the rest of the Jiro locations. Strands are decently thick and have a slight wave, but nothing too dramatic like a crinkled reverse cut. It’s more or less flat, but has a denseness to it that gives it an enhanced volume as it sucks up the soup. I would say people who love the flavor of Jiro noodles will love the Ogikubo shop as the O-shon aroma really permeates with each bite, but if you’re more a fan of the texture, it probably lacks character in that regard.

Of course the main event here is really the pork chashu and they really do give you a generous portion even for the regular bowl. Using a shoulder cut, the pork has a fantastic meat to fat ratio. My bowl came with two really thick cuts and I loved how tender they are pairing with the chewy noodles to perfection. Marinated in their shoyu kaeshi tare, it is definitely one of the better shoulder cuts of chashu among the 42 shops with a healthy punch of flavor exploding as you sink your teeth in to them. Abura is pearly white and gives diners an extra touch of fat to go alongside each component. The sweet and savory flavor profile of the back fat is an amazing dressing to go along with the blanched vegetables, which is cooked with a slight crunch, just the way I like it. The Abura can also act as an accent to give more richness to the already delectable chashu which is absolutely heavenly. Garlic gives the bowl a great pungent punch and I personally feel like you’re not getting a true Jiro experience unless you have a healthy spoonful in your bowl.

If you’re ever in the Ogikubo area, and you’re a fan of Jiro, I definitely recommend making a visit. Pork chashu makes the bowl worth it by itself and it really is a great everyday sort of Jiro. Lines get long though so plan accordingly if you do make a visit. And as always, let me know what you thought in the comment section below or tag me over on Instagram!