Tokyo’s Ramen Citrus Twist by AFURI
do you order from this machine?
I think you pay here too.
AFURI tl;dr
- Order and pay at a machine
- Hand the ticket receipt to the chef
- Wait for a piping bowl of awesomeness and eat it
Tokyo, a city if new and old, traditional and avant garde; full of depth and character. When I first came to the city was to try different kinds of ramen. Whether I’d be able to discern regional flavors or different schools of techniques wasn’t really the intent but to ingrain myself in the dish.
What can I say? I really like ramen, especially really good ramen.
Where Is It
Located underground maze, like a lot of things, in Roppongi this open kitchen themed ramen spot is an open kitchen concept diner where you order and pay first before being served.
What to Eat
- Tsukemen Ramen
- Yuzu Ratanmen
AFURI introduces a whole new flavor of yuzu which gives all their dishes a lighter experience. The spicy red tatnmen, while spicy, wasn’t as hot as I thought it would have been at other places. Perhaps the combination of yuzu lowered the typical richness I’ve come to expect from ramen.
On the other hand, the tsukemen was another experience altogether. I’m not sure what to expect. I suppose that in my mind I assumed it would be simply noodles in one bowl and hot broth in another. Being yuzu enhanced, and the broth not being hot by design, it turned out to be a touch refreshing and surprising.
How to Order
We weren’t sure how to exactly use the machine. There wasn’t much in the way of a guide at the time and didn’t want to bother the line chefs busy making people’s orders. So we waited and fiddled around with the machine till we watched someone order their meal.
- Put money into the machine
- Buttons denoting food options light up
- Press the food button that you want to eat
- Click the green button for your change
- Get the receipt
- Sit at the counter
- Hand the receipt to the chef behind the counter
- Wait for your food
- Eat your bowl of ramen
Same But Different
While I found the venue and food enjoyable, I don’t know if I’d eat their yuzu ramen again with any regularity. Yuzu was definitely a mind opener, expanding my palate to a new flavor profile. And yes, I can see myself eating it again, but in a very specific condition as opposed to eating the other more typical ramen bases without the same concern.
That aside, come and try it for yourself. If anything, you’ll get a boost in your vitamin C intake with all that yuzu nutrition.
