Recommended bowl: Clams & mussels

The lone master who runs this shop prepares each bowl in a cramped kitchen with just a small two-burner stove. As a result, he makes the soup in small batches, and the shop closes when the soup runs out. Shiro Kuro features soups that contain no bones, only ingredients from the sea. There are various types of dried fish on display in glass jars in the shop, and several of the bowls on offer highlight dashi soups made almost entirely from dried fish (bushi) and water. The recommended bowl however is a shio soba made using asari clams and mussels. The light clear soup contains asari, kombu and water, which is paired with a shio tare and mussel oil. The toppings include asari clams, bamboo shoots, chicken and pork chashu, mitsuba, mussels, salmon eggs and yuzu. The noodles are supplied by Mikawaya Seimen and contain Haruyokoi brand wheat grown in Hokkaido. The master previously worked in Chinese and Japanese restaurants, as well as for a large company that runs 40-50 ramen shops. Open since December, 2019.