Suzuran: A noodle haven upscales to Ebisu

I’m not a fan of shoyu (soy sauce) ramen. I find it too light and lacking compared to to the rich, creamy goodness of "tonkotsu" (pork-bone broth) and the endless adaptability of miso. Until now, each time I visited Suzuran in Shibuya, I would have their "miso tsukemen" (dipping ramen) and would leave extremely satisfied. The thought of trying one of their shoyu bowls was one that didn’t really occur to me.

Toward the end of last year, Suzuran relocated to Ebisu, but Ebisu being the ramenist paradise that it is, I ended up trying some of the many other delicious original bowls you can find in the area, and never seriously searched for Suzuran again until I planned to review it for this column.

The new premises, close to the west exit of Ebisu station, are extremely classy and look as good as one would expect from an establishment with its rather high prices. It’s a definite step up from their older wooden shop. In general, everything about the new place is better, though they have lost The Carpenters. No, I’m not a fan of their music, but, at the old shop, they would only ever play The Carpenters’ music and so it went part in parcel with mouthwateringly delicious noodles.

That part hasn’t changed. The noodles are still hand-made fresh daily. They are just the right texture, just the right color and just the right flavor. I’d go so far as to rate their noodles as possibly the best I’ve ever had in any ramen or tsukemen... ever. Having had a fair bit of heavy miso ramen a few days before, I decided, with some trepidation, to give Suzuran’s lighter shoyu soup a go, in the form of their chashu-men. What I got was well beyond my expectations. I knew that it would be good. They’ve been in business for 20 years for a reason, but I was not prepared for a soup that was so light and so delicate to have such unfathomable depth. It is a level far beyond their own miso and that was one of my regular favorites.

There was very little oil, very little color and despite the magazine-like presentation, it really didn’t look like much. When I introduced my mouth to that light golden liquid, however, it was a feast for the senses. There are subtle hints of yuzu (Japanese citrus) and ginger coupled with the crisp greens and fragrant chashu pork, that all came together perfectly in that well-rounded, soy sauce base. When coupled with their noodles’ perfect taste and texture, Suzuran’s chashu-men can satisfy even the most die-hard fan of creamy, thick soups. Being as light as it was, I also didn’t feel weighed down at all by it, as I do with their miso-based options.

You can’t really go wrong with anything on their menu. Pick the toppings you like the best and prepare to be amazed. While their shoyu did leave me in awe, their miso is still top-tier stuff and is highly recommended — especially for fans of spicy bowls or tsukemen. If you’re lucky and their 3-centimeter wide, flat tsukemen noodles are available, drop everything and get that. It’s the most famous dish at Suzuran and it’s sold out more often than not.

All this goodness doesn’t come cheap. Their base-level, chuka soba ramen starts at ¥1,000 and the chashu-men is a substantial ¥1,350, but, as with most things in Japan, that old chestnut is appropriate: “You get what you pay for.” The only downside is that it will be very hard for me to try all the other excellent ramen in Ebisu (there is so much of it) when I know that I’d be giving up another bowl at Suzuran to do so. That, and that they don’t play The Carpenters anymore.

Suzuran just isn’t quite right without “every shalala and every woa woa woah.”

Suzuran Open daily, 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. & 6 p.m.-11 p.m. 1-7-12 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku Station: Ebisu Tel: 03-3499-0434 Google Map Twitter

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