OKAYAMA: Mensake Issyoan Okayama Store
After a super red eye flight with SQ to Fukuoka and then another 2 hours direct shinkansen to Okayama, as soon as we have done dropping our luggage, I took my family straight to this ramen place.
For full itinerary, check out JAPAN TRIP 2023: 10D9N in Okayama, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kashima and Yufuin
Mensake Issyoan 麵酒 一照庵
Mensake Issyoan is situated in Nakasange area, which is about 15 minutes’ walk from Okayama Station. They offer comforting bowls of ramen with broth base made of a blend of chicken-based soup and seafood dashi stock that is made of kelp, shiitake mushrooms, skipjack tuna, round herring, mackerel, and dried sardine: served in Shoyu, Shio, Clam and Spicy Shoyu version.
鶏中華そば 塩 (¥ 1080) – shio
Given the choice of thin or thick noodles, this bowl of noodles is topped with mitsuba leaf, chashu and chicken slices, bamboo shoots, egg, and scallion, final touched with chicken oil and fancy-coloured cracker bits – arare. A very basic umami bowl of noodles and wow, the chicken slices were so tender!
鶏中華そば生醤油 (¥ 1080) – Shoyu
Appeared in golden colour, the shoyu version is seasoned with a delightful rich soy sauce and added in a type of fish sauce to create a second layer of umami richness to the broth.
鶏中華そば生醤油旨辛仕立て (¥ 1180) – Spicy Shoyu
Served only in thin noodles, it is topped with chashu and chicken slices, bamboo shoots egg, and scallion and garnished with mitsuba leaf, plenty of deep-fried yellow chives and burdock roots, and drizzled with Issyoan’s homemade chili oil. Truly for those who love their bowl of noodles spicy.
鶏中華そばクラム (¥ 1180) – Clam
My favourite would be this! It is also the most popular item in store and it is loaded with lots of sea essence, very umami with the essence stood out from the broth, layers by layers in the oral cavity. The broth is made of a blend of house’s chicken soup and the stock made of orient clams, Manila clams and shijimi clams. At your choice of thin or thick noodles, it is then topped with mitsuba leaf, chashu and chicken slices, bamboo shoots, egg, scallion, red onion, clam paste and seaweed and touches with scallop oil. Too aromatic and too delicious with the right chewiness of the noodles!
A bowl of piping hot ramen is truly a comforting one after flight. What’s more when you get to pair the ramen with sake. The sake on the menu is carefully selected to pair with their umami-rich ramen! Their sake is served in this elegant set of tin sake cups and pitcher! We had 2 pitchers of local Japanese Sake – Takaji (¥ 780 each) and honestly, it coupled so well with the ramen!
Fried Chicken Wing (¥ 360 per piece)
With an option of sweet and spicy or salted lemon, we picked the later one. This is Issyoan’s specialty which is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Glad that we made a right choice, didn’t order one for each of us LOL. The portion for the noodles was quite huge, and by the time we were done with the noodles, we were all quite stuffed. These chicken wings were huge and juicy too! Best pair with their sake, I must say!
Hot Plate Chicken Skin Gyoza (¥ 780 for 6 pieces)
Fried dumpling with the fillings of vegetables and chicken inside the chicken skin! Very juicy with great seasoned fillings. Touch it with vinegar soy sauce, chili oil or vinegar and pepper for an extra kick!
Mensake Issyoan
1-7-16 Nakasange, Kita-ku, Okayama City,
Okayama 700-0821
