塩ラーメン / Shio Ramen / Chūka Soba Benten — Narimasu, Tokyo

The original Benten style ramen. Shio soup contains pork and gyokai, made salty, slightly sweet and slightly tangy. Noodles are house-made. Topped with pork chashu, menma, negi, nori and a drizzle of hot oil. Spicy chili flakes on the side. Shoyu ramen, tsukemen and aburasoba are also available.

Master Tanaka-san first opened Chūka Soba Benten in Takadanoba in 1995. The shop quickly become beloved with a legion of devout fans, by the mid 2000s lines of 1-2 hours were a daily occurrence. Partially due to deterioration of the building, Tanaka-san announced the shop would close in 2014. On the final day of operation, the first customers were said to have started lining up from 9pm the day before. After a two year hiatus in which Tanaka-san spent time recovering from an illness, Benten reopened in Narimasu, Tokyo. He says one day he will pass operations over to his son. Lunch only, 11am-2:30pm. 11 Seats. Since September 18th, 2016.