Soranoiro Artisan Noodles: The Revamp; Hanzomon, Tokyo

For the longest time, Soranoiro was actually a vegetarian ramen shop that I very quickly forgot about after my first visit back in 2019-ish. To be fair to Soranoiro, the shop was quite popular and garnered a ton of interest among the vegetarian community, especially the expats and tourists who are always looking for vegetarian options in a country that isn’t necessarily friendly to food restrictions. Probably pretty obvious, but I myself do not have any food restrictions so a vegetarian bowl wasn’t particularly appetizing to me. I have gone for ramen tours when I had vegetarian guests, but I tend not to take photos during my tours to focus on my patrons so I never made a review for the shop. Well just so happened Soranoiro cracked the Tabelog Top 100 list after giving their menu a revamp with a non vegetarian option so I made a visit to see what it was all about. For those looking for the non-meat, non-fish options, the vegetarian option is still available so the shop is perfect if you’re looking for an alternative to the meat heavy bowls dominant in Tokyo.

Soranoiro is open Monday through Friday from 11:00-16:00 for lunch and reopens for dinner at 17:00 until closing. Shops is closed on weekends so plan accordingly if you’re making a visit. I forgot to snap a photo, but you order via a digital ticket machine outside and has an English version as well. Soranoiro offers a variety of menu items from their new Chuka Soba to their classic Veggie Soba as well as a plethora of rice bowls. My order for the day was a regular bowl of Chuka Soba.

Visually it looks pretty similar to a typical bowl of Chuka that you might find at your local mom and pop shop, but if you take a closer look, you’ll see that it has some striking qualities which indicate how refined this bowl really is. Soaking in the beautiful amber soup is the medium thick, chewy noodles which support the plethora of toppings above. Sitting atop the noodles are two slices of gorgeous pork chashu, thick cut menma bamboo shoots, a slice of naruto fishcake, and a slice of dried nori.

As far as soups go, I have to say, this was probably one of my favorite new renditions on this old school classic. I can see the appeal here from the salarymen and office ladies working nearby. It has the nostalgic flavor profile that would attract the older generation while incorporating enough of a refined twist that would bring in the younger ramen lover. As someone who eats way too much ramen a year, I would say even hardcore ramen fans can appreciate this bowl. While it doesn’t have the sort of rustic, lard heavy, umami enriched depth that you would get at some of the more established Chuka spots, it does have a refreshing and soothing twang from using fresher, more refined ingredients. I think the key part is the balance where you definitely have a good, solid pork and chicken base to give the soup lots of body, but a good selection of bushi and niboshi that keeps an impactful umami profile without being too overloaded on the fishy aftertaste. Shoyu tare is on the lighter side color wise, but has a strong aroma to it that brings the stock together nicely. Again, the aroma oil isn’t too noticeable and it is on the lighter end which might be a bit disappointing for those looking for a more classic Chuka Soba.

For me however, my favorite part was the noodles which were uniform and incredibly well made. Each strand was the perfect circular shape and was cut at the right length for both ease and slurpability. Texture was phenomenal giving the bowl a feeling of substance while not overwhelming the soup. Chew of the noodles gives off a flour aroma, but in a subtle way to pair with the different tasting notes of the soup. If I’m not mistaken, these noodles are made in house and pretty evident just by looking at them. I don’t think I’ve seen many shops serving this sort of tubular, thick noodles and was probably perfected in house. It is deceptively filling though so warnings to those ordering a large serving, or squeezing multiple shops in a day, this bowl will definitely weigh you down for a few hours at least.

Rounding out the bowl was the toppings which were probably the weakest part of the bowl for me. The rosy pink sous vide chashu was perfectly prepared and had both the right texture and flavor, but it just didn’t match with this retro style ramen. It was a bit new wave for my liking and I would have prepared a haphazardly prepared pork loin braise for that nostalgic vibe. Menma was solid and it did fit the theme in my opinion…just glad they didn’t go for a Hosaki to over complicated the bowl. Naruto fish cake and the thinly sliced negi was basic, but still well executed so kudos for that, same could also be said of the Nori. Guess what I’m trying to say is, stick with the basic bowl…no Tokusei is needed here.

All in all, pretty glad I crossed this off my list. It’s not a shop I imagined making repeat visits for, but it definitely knows its audience and targets them perfectly. From the vegetarian to the older generation casual diner, shop hits it out of the park with their niche customer base. If you’re a vegetarian, I definitely recommend making a visit, but even if you’re not, I can confidently say you’ll have a pleasant meal here at Soranoiro.