Menya Iroha

I actually liked this ramen. Granted, it is probably a LITTLE salty for my taste– but it is some bangin’ ramen. I got the Black Ajitama Shoyu Ramen, which was my favorite. The egg. God that egg. YUM.
It’s fine though. Good ramen– noodles are the same. Would have liked them to be a little more al dente, but it was decent enough. Somewhat salty but enjoyable to eat. Large means more noodles– not more everything else.

Glad we made a special trip to Shirokiya — Menya Iroha Ramen.
July 7, 2013 is the last day for Ramen Iroha’s Toyama Black Ramen: the ramen I’ve been craving since my last visit to Tokyo in May.
Every year since 2009, Ramen Iroha has won Champion of the Tokyo Ramen Show for Toyama Black Shoyu Ramen. The ramen is real ramen: handmade and cooked to perfection with the chef’s eye on his stopwatch.
It should be noted that the broth is not simply shoyu. The natural color of the dark black broth is from natural black soybeans blended with fish stock infused with secret spices. It has a rich and flavorful balance of nutty, salty, and slightly sweet. Hope they return soon.

I love ramen, so when this place popped up, I just had to try it. I had the spicy miso ramen. It was tasty but a little too salty. I wanted to dilute it with some hot water. The extra dollar for the soft boiled egg is worth it. Yum!

After reading John N’s review, I thought to myself «wow this guy wrote exactly what I was feeling.» I feel so unoriginal now. :(Here’s my attempt at reviewing this place.
Like many here, seeing their plentiful awards drew me in. I’m always looking for an excellent ramen place! I read the reviews and I was super excited to try Menya Iroha! I got there when they were about to close shop but the nice lady at the counter took my order anyway! +1 star for great service :)
After ordering the signature black shoyu and spicy miso, we took a seat and waited for our number to be called. I wish there was a way to hear the number from across the store but they didn’t take long to have our ramens ready! I was about ready to jump for joy when I realized they forgot to give me the EGG! :(((Noooo, the sadness commenced immediately.
My boyfriend told me to tell them since I looked so down, but I didn’t want to bother them since they took our orders when they were about to close. He offered half of his egg to me and I was so glad he did because that egg is the best part of the ramen. The egg seemed to be marinated in shoyu beforehand and the whites were cooked throughly. The yolk was perfectly runny and it was just the most magical part of the meal.
I was disappointed by the rest of the ramen though. The black shoyu broth tastes like the shoyu that comes with the fresh steamed fish at Chinese restaurants, complete with the layer of oil. The noodles were nice and firm but not like regular ramen. The spicy miso broth tastes like a watered down version of the broth at Goma Tei. Both broths were extremely salty as well.
The employees are so sweet; I just don’t think I’ll be returning here.

Whaaaaat? Another travelling ramen shop at Shirokiya? What’s so special about this one?
«Winner at Tokyo Ramen show in Japan 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012»
So is that like… the best ramen at ramen show in Japan 4 years in a row?
For a while, I was getting tired of all these ramen pop ups going on at Shirokiya. I tried many when they had those competitions when Yataimura first opened. None of them really wow-​ed me. With Ramen Iroha opening up for a limited time engagement and such proud accolades surrounding them, I thought to myself: «What the heck, 4 years in a row should make it pretty damn good shouldn’t it?»
The order process is pretty straight forward and there are numbers you can order with if you are scared of mispronouncing Japanese. I ordered the ajitama dark shoyu ramen with charsiu.
First thing you’ll notice about this ramen is how dark the shoyu broth is. To me, it was just watered down shoyu. The noodles were chewy and looked expanded from regular ramen noodles. The ajitama was the highlight of the dish. I love soft boiled eggs, and they did it very well. Charsiu tasted like pork adobo or shoyu pork Chinese style.
Overall, for the price, I can say there are much better ramen out there. That does not mean not to try it if you are curious. I believe California has a few Irohas out there so it isn’t like you won’t find it outside Japan. It didn’t wow me like kotteri ramen did, but it was decent. I do understand that competition isn’t everyday so they aren’t giving their championship caliber ramen.

Ahh the depths of the Shirokiya food court.
Around the corner is this little ramen stand that boasts that it won some award in Japan.
Careful what you boast about, cuz you gotta show that you have the nuts!
Wife ordered the Toyama Black Ajitama Ramen.
I stuck with the tamer-​looking Miso Ramen.
Pretty much a fast food restaurant with cash register and take a number.
Moments later, the ramens were ready.
Mine had a nice broth. Noodles tasted either house made, or specially chosen from someone who knows what they are doing. Very nice firm, almost toothsome texture.
Soft boiled egg had a nice consistency too.
Wife’s black broth was o so salty.
«It tastes like I am eating ramen out of a shoyu bottle,» my wife said with dashed hopes.
Not too far from the truth as the dish was inedible with it’s extreme salt factor.
Just don’t come here with any pre existing hypertension issues.
Maybe we got a bad batch, as I could detect how this broth could be excellent.
Next time we’ll order the black shoyu ramen without the black shoyu.

Tasty broth, but very rich.
I read the other reviews and I had to try it. I tried the black shoyu ramen, which had a depth of flavor. It’s very good. The noodles are good and look dyed in the black broth. It is a must try, but it isn’t my favorite broth. The broth is very rich and it is salty. At the end of the meal I didn’t feel like drinking the rest of the dashi. I wanted water and something sweet afterwards.
The cost is a bit much, but everything in Shirokiya is a bit pricey.
I think it’s worth a try, since it is highly original and I’ve tasted no broth like it.

Ramen Iroha is a pop-​up ramen-​ya at Shirokiya’s Yataimura doing a limited run until July 7. According to the ad in the paper they took First Prize for four years straight at a Ramen Show in Tokyo. If it’s that good I’m sold.
The menu here is simple: three flavors (shoyu, miso, spicy miso), three types (with no egg, with egg, or with egg & more charsiu), and two sizes (regular or large). Prices range from $ 8.00 — $ 14.50. You can look at the picture menu to help you decide and order by number (1 to 9?).
I chose #2 regular size Toyama Black Ajitama Shoyu Ramen ($ 9). It’s topped with shio menma, green onions, soft boiled egg, nori & two pieces of charsiu. My first taste was a sip of the broth. Yum. There is a definite depth of flavor brought out by the shoyu & other secret ingredients in there. The noodles were glistening, chewy & cooked to perfection. Loved the runny egg too.
The regular size is kind of on the small side so if your a big eater you should go for the large for $ 1.50 more. I hope to go back & try the spicy miso before they leave.
So, is it the best ramen? Well, I still prefer Keisuke Tokyo’s Kani miso ramen but only because I love crab. I will say it’s probably the best shoyu ramen I’ve ever had. But I will honestly say I have not had too many shoyu ramen in this life. I guess you need to go & check it out yourself before they leave Hawaii. Ramen Iroha did come all the way from Japan after all. Thanks Shirokiya!

Here for a limited time until July 7, Menya Iroha received 4 stars at the Tokyo Ramen show in Japan which is the number 1 ramen competition in Japan. They are here for a limited time only based at the shirokyia food court to give Hawaii a taste of authentic flavorful and great textured ramen which orginated from Toyama japan. My review is based off of their Toyama Black Ajitama Char-​sui Ramen which is $ 11.00 for the regular and $ 12.50 for the large.
Although my gf tells me Toyama is known for mainly for their seafood, after getting a taste of this dark full broth ramen, I’d have to admit their ramen holds a strong reputation in my book, as this is one of the best ramen I have tasted in Hawaii so far yet.
One of the ingredients that sets their ramen apart from other ramen I have tasted around Hawaii is the type of noodle used. The ramen prepared at Iroha Ramen is perfectly cooked and textured. In fact as i was waiting i noticed one of the chefs was carrying around a stop watch, possibly not only yo time the length the noodles cooked but also to time the length that the eggs were boiled at.
The broth was a dark shoyu based broth, it was very deep in flavor, the darkest ramen broth ive had a chance to experience here in Hawaii. Although, it was not it was not overpowering or salty in flavor which one might expect to experience when opting for a shoyu base. (I would imagine this to be a one of a kind match with some of the beers offered at the beer garden.)
The cuts of charsui were cooked to excellence, along with the added bamboo, the crispy nori, chewy texture swept my brain into a commotion of sensory overload! The «Ajitama» or flavored egg, was also cooked to perfection, and was the «cherry on the cake» which topped off the added flavor with a soft consistency.
Will definitely come back to try their other ramen. They also serve a miso and spicy miso base!