I ventured out to Hinodeya Ramen to check out the Dashi Ramen they are known for in Japan. I was a bit disappointed in it, as it tasted pretty much like any miso ramen with only the slightest fishiness to it. As to be expected these days, there was some sticker shock. I enjoyed a side order of crispy fried yam, but it too seemed overpriced.
More details in my blog
I had a bowl from here and I think I liked it more than you did. Got there slightly before they opened for lunch on a Monday, and could hear the staff getting pumped up with a cheer before they opened the doors. They had a special Hamaguri Littleneck Clam Ramen for $18 on the menu that they only make 18(?) of a day, along with the Hinodeya Ramen ($14) and a Tori Paitan ramen ($15). I ordered the Hinodeya Ramen.
Nice dashi broth with a little oil on top, toppings were lots of thinly sliced spring onions, a small piece of chashu, menma, half an egg, and a piece of nori. There is fried garlic and shichimi togarashi on the table to add as you like. The dashi broth was quite good. Light but with a more complex flavor that was a few notches better than any homemade dashi I’ve made (or made from dashi granules for that matter). Spring onions tasted fresh. Noodles were good and chewy, a little crinkly. Egg properly soft boiled. Wish there were more of the toppings, but overall a pretty good bowl of ramen. Would maybe order something on the side too though if you are hungry. Or get some mochi from Benkyodo a few doors down for dessert.
Went back to Hinodeya for dinner recently.
We had:
Cheese Royal ($5)
Described as “deep flavored cream cheese cube marinade w/dashi sauce.” Tasted like a mix of Laughing Cow processed cheese and fermented tofu, and served with some wasabi. Good with sake. A bit expensive.
Aburi Chashu ($7)
Pieces of chashu, similar to what was in the ramen, but with a little sear. Topped with chili threads and a slightly spicy sauce, on a bed of chopped scallions. This was fine, good flavor but perhaps could have been a little more tender and/or fatty.
Crispy Fried Yam ($8)
“Naga-imo potato lightly fried w/sesame sauce.” Pretty good, nicely fried and starchy. Good sesame sauce that kind of tasted like a sesame salad dressing.
Tori Paitan (Chicken Ramen) ($15)
I also added chashu to this ($4). Nice unctuous lip coating broth that was quite thick and with lots of chicken flavor. Not as thick as the one from Mensho (which is IMHO is maybe a little too thick and rich for me). It had two chicken wings, half of a marinated soft boiled egg, a large shiitake mushroom, and sliced spring onion, along with some sesame seeds and a piece of nori. The chicken wings were good and tender, and the chashu was more moist than the ones in the aburi chashu. It may have benefitted from being in the broth and not being seared. Noodles were a little on the soft side this time unfortunately, and a little flabby. I like them with more resilience.
Hinodeya now has a takeout space in SoMa, and the ramen is also served in takeout containers.
