For ramen in Sugamo, Marue Chuukasoba (まるえ中華そば) is the newest on the block, opening in July 2020. Their refined shio ramen features giant slabs of smoky pork.
Some Background on Marue Chuukasoba
Ramen shop Marue Chuukasoba comes to us from Emoto Masahiro, the ramen master behind Ramen Emoto in Naka-Meguro. Marue occupies the same space that Tsuta (Tokyo’s first Michelin star ramen shop) used to. Maybe this will provide some good luck!
Golden Shio Ramen
Unlike their Naka-Meguro ramen shop, there’s just one type of ramen at Marue. That’s all they need – because it’s fantastic. The soup is crystal clear and based around a punchy shio (salt). The soup itself is mostly pork bones.
Thin but springy, wavy noodles pull in that rejuvenating, golden soup. Toppings include negi (spring onions) and extra crunchy menma (bamboo shoots).
But the standout toppings are the gigantic slabs of pork chashu. They’re carefully prepared in a tandoor (clay oven). Being singed on the sides, they give the bowl a nice smoky flavor. In addition, this eventually turns that clear soup into a more brown color.
To see Marue was like on opening day, check out the below video!
Closing Thoughts
I’d expect nothing less from Emoto-san – Marue exudes excellence. For ramen in Sugamo, the scene just got much hotter.