Class is in session, where we return to Katsuryu Kokakudo to try their sea urchin (uni or 雲丹) ramen. Similar to their shrimp/lobster tsukemen, their broth was incredibly rich and think and had the taste of uni.
I imagine there are quite a few people who've never had the pleasure of trying sea urchin before so let me try to describe it. In it's ultimate form (i.e. in gunkan-maki (軍艦巻き)) fresh from a high level sushi-ya, in my humble opinion, it's briny, creamy, smooth, and full of flavor. Fresh uni paired with seaweed, sushi rice, and a bit of shoyu feels almost like having a gulp of milk with the ocean breeze passing you by. Sometimes though, locations won't have the luxury of getting uni fresh from Tsukiji fish market, Hokkaido, or Santa Barbara so a bit of fishiness starts to develop. While the creamy texture and slightly brininess remains, a mild seafood essence, which I can only describe as a bit fishy (almost like kani-miso or shrimp head) develops as an after note. It is still incredibly delicious but this development in flavor is definitely noticeable and is something I look out for.
Okay, so hopefully, I haven't lost too many readers in my mini-soliloquy. The point of the paragraph above is to try and covey that the specific uni flavor this ramen broth brings out is this mild seafood, shrimp head-like essence. The broth starts off with a general seafood flavor before the afternote of uni starts to develop and coat one's mouth. If one isn't paying attention and goes too quick for the next bite, you could miss it. There is the dichotomy of the ramen/soba itself having a finite lifetime but I'll leave that as an exercise for the reader.
The thinner noodles complimented the slightly thinner broth (relative to the shrimp/lobster one) and still carried quite a bit of flavor. The menma and cha-shu were consistent from the first time I was at this establishment so very good for consistency.
Finally getting nami-mori (the normal portion) at this establishment, I feel a bit more content and will maybe give it this experience an 8/10. The combination of getting a normal portion plus the taste of uni being more interesting is the reason for the slightly higher score than the lobster one.
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