Menya Shibaken (麺や シバケン) is a relatively new ramen shop located in front of JR Shimousa Nakayama Station. It has quickly become one of my favorite ramen places. The name “Shibaken” refers to a Shiba Inu dog, and the black dog on their signboard is adorable. 🙂
Menu. Menya Shibaken offers a variety of ramen dishes, including classic soy sauce ramen, chicken and niboshi (dried sardine) broth ramen, seafood and tonkotsu, mazesoba, and more. They also serve a selection of small dishes that pair well with alcoholic drinks. On weekdays, they offer a great value lunch set. A ticket vending machine is available inside the shop for ordering.
The interior feels more like a café than a typical ramen shop, with white walls and wooden chairs. This welcoming atmosphere makes it easy for solo female diners to feel comfortable. At the entrance, there are counter seats, and beyond that, there are tables seating two to four people.
I usually order the Chicken and niboshi broth ramen with egg. The roast pork is generously sized, so there’s no need to add extra for me. It’s tender and juicy. The soup has a rich texture, thanks to the chicken extract, combined with the distinctive flavor of niboshi. It’s delicious.
The noodles are thin and pair well with the broth. While I sometimes feel the soup and noodles alone might become a bit monotonous, the fresh chopped onions provide a refreshing contrast, making it enjoyable until the last bite. However, my one small dissatisfaction is the amount of soup—I wish there were more, at least up to the red line of the bowl. The noodles tend to soak up a lot of the broth, leaving less by the end. :p
When I’m especially hungry, I go for the Shibaken Mazesoba. It comes with extra rice and a raw egg, and the noodle portion is quite large.
Though the sauce is very rich, the generous amount of boiled cabbage balances it out, preventing it from feeling too heavy. The dish is addictive! It also has plenty of toppings, including roast pork, bamboo shoots (menma), green onions, regular onions, and garlic. You can ask for the garlic to be reduced, but the sauce itself already contains a strong garlic flavor. :p
The mazesoba noodles are thicker than those used in the ramen.
I like to dip them into the beaten raw egg, sukiyaki-style—so good!
At the end, I mix the remaining sauce with rice. It’s dangerously addictive. :p
Another recommendation is the “Torinibo Punch”. This is based on their regular chicken and niboshi broth ramen but with added pork back fat and garlic, giving it an extra “punch.” While you can taste the niboshi flavor at first, it becomes less noticeable as you eat. Despite the red powder sprinkled on top, it’s not spicy at all, and I enjoy it just as much as the other dishes.
The ramen pairs surprisingly well with a highball. The glass they serve it in is cute, and it’s reasonably priced, so I find myself ordering one every time 🙂
About
Name Menya Shibaken (麺や シバケン)
Open Day through night
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