Asari Ramen Time

Returning back to Katsuryu on a cold rainy day (in June) since I was craving soup after a long arduous day of remote control room shifts + sub-detector shifts simultaneously. I had enough of rich thiccc ramen/tsukemen and was curious to see if they had anything that might be different. One option I considered was their mazemen or tan tan men. However, I decided instead to get something different than the known rich soups I've had across all the Katsuryu variants. I started off with the gyoza that was prepared and cooked exceptionally, maintaining its shape while being well-seasoned without the introduction of vinegar, chili oil, or shoyu (although it was nice to add).

The star of today's meal was the domestic clams and Uwajima sea bream salt broth ramen (国産ハマグリと宇和島鯛の塩そば or "kokusan hamaguri to uwajima tai no shio soba"). Some of the signature visual features to marvel is how clear the broth is where the little molecules of fat (from the broth or the cha-shu) can glisten like jewels. The noodles should also be thin to pair well with the soup since it should be on the lighter side.

The clams and fish broth definitely had a lot more room to breath and had time to shine. This is contrast to the other broths I had shown before where the seafood takes a back seat or is almost confrontational with the pork's contribution to the broth. I think it seasoned with salt rather than shoyu or miso also helps a lot in this aspect. Overall, it was super easy to eat and finish (even getting the oomori portion). Since the only meat came from the topping, the cha-shu had room to get a starring role and actually stand out separately but complimentary to the broth. If you're looking for a decadent complex almost overwhelming broth, this is not what you're looking for. If you're looking for a clean light, almost refreshing, seafood ramen, I think this is what you're looking for. 8.2/10.