A Match Made in Heaven – Shibuya’s Fried Chicken Ramen

Ramen is a super versatile dish – you can customize pretty much everything about it. You could have a richer or lighter broth to start with, have it seasoned with salt, miso, or soy sauce, add however much spiciness you prefer, and even choose the firmness of the noodles. However, we’re not here to talk about classic ramen choices today. Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the wonder that is fried chicken ramen – a beautiful creation put together by the masterminds over at Oreryu Shio Ramen, in the heart of Shibuya.

Yes, you’ve heard it right. Just when you thought that Japanese ramen can’t get any better than what it is now, some guy comes up with the idea of topping it off with fried chicken strips. And let me tell you, it is a match made in heaven. The chicken pieces are a bit spicy and deep-fried to perfection, creating an explosion of flavor when you bite into them. Combine that with Oreryu’s homemade, pressure-cooked chicken bone broth, and a healthy dose of chili paste, and you’ve got yourself one of the best ramen in all of Tokyo.

The dish does come with a couple of chashu pork slices as well – but those will taste incredibly sad compared to the chicken strips. The dish is also topped off with two halves of gooey ajitama egg, and the classic menma and chopped scallions combo. You can get this bowl of amazingness for just ¥950 – not expensive at all.

However, fried chicken ramen is not all Oreryu Shio has to offer. The Shibuya-raised chef also comes up with daring seasonal items, including a ramen bowl topped with Parmesan cheese, or Ramen al Genovese – with added pesto sauce, for the Autumn 2017 menu. In summer, you can also drop by for a bowl of hiyashi chuuka – ramen noodles in chilled soup topped off with fresh summer veggies like tomatoes and cucumbers.

Another great thing about Oreryu Shio is that they are open until 6 in the morning, making it the perfect place for a quick pick-me-up after a night out in Shibuya. The ordering process is pretty generic too. You’ll have to order a ticket using the vending machine at the door and hand it to the staff, but they will ask you to specify the details of the order (like the noodle firmness and level of spiciness) after you place the order. They do speak fairly good English though, so I wouldn’t worry about that.

The restaurant has multiple branches in Shibuya, but I recommend their main store on Dogenzaka street (about a 7-minute walk from the Hachiko Exit).