Ginza Hachigo (銀座八五); Next Michelin Star?, Ginza, Tokyo

One of the things ramen restaurants have been striving for is the Michelin Star and I think I may have found the next contender for that prestigious award. Ginza Hachigo in Ginza is run by Chef Yasushi Matsumura and is the third ramen shop he has opened since embarking on his journey in ramen after giving up his star studded career in traditional Japanese fine dining. Matsumura-san’s first location is Chuka Soba Katsumoto in Suidobashi and his second is Katsumoto Kanda near Jinbocho station. The three shops serve vastly different bowls and a visit to all of them would be a worthwhile trip, but Hachigo in particular does some under the radar, unique techniques that might intrigue those with a palate for fine dining. Located in the high fashion and gourmet capital of Tokyo (in my opinion), Hachigo definitely plays to that market with its shop decor, service, and atmosphere. If you’re looking for ramen, but in a more intimate and catered setting, this is the shop for you.

Menu is pretty simple here. They serve only one ramen style, Chuka Soba (中華そば) in varying topping options of Ajitama Chuka Soba (w/egg, 味玉中華そば) and Tokusei which comes with extra fixings of all the toppings (特性中華そば). Oomori, or large serving of noodles are 100 yen and you can order a side of rice for 150 yen, and a Niku Gohan, their rendition of a chashu-don, is 350 yen. Beer is also offered for 250 yen. Don’t be intimated by the Japanese menu, Hachigo is fully aware of the foreign clientele of the area and provides English menus while you stand in line awaiting your turn in the queue. If you want to dine for lunch, currently with less tourists in the area, you can come in and line up, but during peak seasons, you will have to swing by early in the morning for your tickets. When you do, they’ll inform you of the time to return to the shop for your bowl of ramen. For dinner, be sure to come early as they close whenever they run out of soup, but weekdays before 7 pm should guarantee you a spot. The location attracts a ton of nearby residents as well as the numerous salarymen working in the area, so be sure to come early to secure your bowl.

Everything is beautifully presented, beginning with the simple tablemat, chopstick, and renge placement which is rare to see in most ramen shops. From there your bowl is carefully placed in the middle with the toppings and noodles facing you to display the aesthetically pleasing dish. Service is top notch with a server in the front ensuring smooth transition from waiting outside in the queue to sitting comfortably in your seat with a warm towel and a cold glass of water. As you wait for your bowl to be made, you’ll have access to a show as the kitchen sits right behind the counter where you can observe chef Matsumura perfect his ramen craft. First off is the soup which includes animal stock consisting of duck, Nagoya Cochin Chicken, and cured ham with a French inspired stock of scallops, mushrooms, dried tomatoes, dried Matsutake, and konbu infused in. A French salt is added to bring up the savoriness of the soup, but that’s it. No “tare” is used as it only uses salt to flavor the soup. Ramen purists will claim tare is absolutely necessary for a dish to be fundamentally ramen, but if you get a taste of their phenomenal soup and noodle pairing, you might come away thinking those fundamentals are dated and unnecessary. Above is their Tokusei Chuka Soba which comes adorned with menma bamboo shoots, soft boiled egg, two slices of pork belly chashu, and a large mound of green onions.

Soup here is phenomenal, to say the least. The duck and Nagoya Cochin combo brings about an incredibly gentle, but impactful flavor that fill your mouth with every spoonful. You would think that a duck broth would have a bit of funk or pungent smell, but I imagine a good amount of veggies and aromatics were added to mask the duck scent. The depth of the soup can’t be understated as it has many levels and complexities added by the French inspired scallop and mushroom based stock that is blended in. The scallops provide the soup with sweetness and savoriness while the mushrooms pack in umami notes that leaves your palette incredibly satisfied after every slurp. The French imported salt helps tie the entire soup together enhancing the overall flavor notes of each ingredient and giving it that sodium kick you crave when polishing off a bowl of ramen. I’m not entirely sure how a French or Japanese salts could have changed the overall flavor profile of the soup, but I’ll give the benefit of the doubt to the highly acclaimed and award winning chef. The oiliness of the chiyu, or chicken oils, provide a smooth finish to the soup and trap the heat below to maintain the temp of the soup throughout your meal making sure each spoonful is as good as the last.

Noodles were thin and bouncy, but not overly chewy. Each strand had a nice snappiness to them which gave off a good texture balance in contrast with the rest of the bowl. The oat notes and aromas from the wheat flour kneaded in gave it some further flavor notes which paired fantastically with the gorgeously made soup. Menma bamboo shoots were the block variety which had some stringiness, but was seasoned to a tee. I noticed a bit of sake notes which I imagine might have been included in the marinade. The pork chashu is definitely the highlight of the toppings and it is elegantly presented front and center with a crackling of fresh ground black pepper. The spiciness of the peppercorn helped cut through the fattiness of the pork chashu which were heavenly soft as it melted in my mouth. The thinly sliced negi added a crisp, freshness to cleanse the palette between bites and the perfectly cooked soft boiled egg had a nice, runny finish which gave the soup some creaminess for an end of the bowl flavor change.

Overall I was incredibly satisficed with the bowl here at Ginza Hachigo. Not only was I provided with some exceptional customer service, the bowl was magical and made my visit to Ginza in par with the neighborhoods’ atmosphere and vibe. If you enjoyed this shop, make sure to visit the other two sister locations, Kanda Katsumoto and Chuka Soba Katsumoto. If you’d like to see me devour this bowl of ramen, check out my YouTube video below. Make sure to give me a thumbs up and subscribe if you like the content. Hoping to produce more by the end of the year.