Anyone who thinks that a bowl of noodles can’t be a filling and satisfying meal hasn’t been to Yamagoya. With two branches so far, this Japanese chain serves up Kyushu-style ramen that will stick to just about any body part of your choosing—not just your bones. The secret is a deliciously thick broth that rivals even the fattiest kha muu (with 10 times more salt); it’s so rich, in fact, that if you let it sit even a few minutes, a slightly disconcerting film will appear on the surface of your soup. Added to that succulent soup in the signature Yamagoya Ramen are toothsome noodles; slices of fatty pork; hard-boiled eggs with magically creamy, bright-orange yolks; chopped green onion; tender bamboo; seaweed and pickled ginger—plus, along with a jar of extra ginger, on each blond-wood table is a nifty grinder filled with sesame seeds. Starters like gyoza, a plate of six small but succulent dumplings that are pan-fried on one side, and crispy fried chunks of boneless chicken are a perfect match for beer. Don’t bother with the side dishes, however, such as a ball of super salty mentaiko (spicy cod roe) or a tiny portion of kimchi —neither are bad, but the prices aren’t justified. If you need a break from ramen, then we instead recommend the tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet) set, which comes with “salad” (cabbage), kimchi, perfectly cooked Japanese rice and a bowl of their amazing broth. No corkage charge.
