麺場 浜虎 横浜店

Rating: 80/100 pts

Hamatora is one of those hidden, unpretentious ramen spots, and I'd easily count it among the top 5 walkable from Yokohama Station.

Whereas a lot of ramen in Yokohama falls under the tonkotsu + soy-based "ie-kei" style, Hamatora is quite unique in that it uses a chicken based broth, rather than pork. (Even the chashu slices are chicken instead of pork.) This difference alone makes it worth trying, and worthy of entering any ramen enthusiast's rotation, if not just for the sake of variety alone.

They have regular ramen, but they are most well-known for their tsukemen. Despite the broth being murky and thick, amazingly it remains balanced so as to not be overly flavorful. Somewhat plain on the first few slurps, the flavors gradually seep in as an aftertaste. I'm pretty sure this is because they use chicken stock instead of pork, which is heavier and more immediately noticeable. To make things better, they have a house-made chili vinegar on the table, and adding in a few drops draws out the flavor even more.

Another cool thing they do is serve seasonal ramen. Each season, they make a brand new seasonally inspired ramen. This remains on the menu for 3 months before disappearing into oblivion, as they never repeat the same variety twice.

I was surprised at first to find that they serve complimentary jasmine tea, instead of the more common barley tea. Not only does this play to the history of Chinese influence on Yokohama--this tea goes inexplicably well with the tsukemen broth!! Take a sip after a few slurps of the broth, and you'll see what I mean. It's like two puzzle pieces coming together.

Hamatora means "seaside tiger". While hama obviously comes from Yokohama, the tora part of the store name is actually a pun mixing the word for tiger and "tora"ditional. The idea is that, while this is not "traditional" Yokohama ramen, their ambition is strong enough that they want to become part of the traditional Yokohama ramen scene. Sounds good to me!

**Don't speak Japanese? Kind of a problem, do as follows.**
I've yet to see a foreigner enter other than myself, but that doesn't mean you can't. Walk in and purchase a ticket from the machine. For tsukemen, press the button third down from the top left (つけ麺). For the seasonal ramen, press the big button at the top right. When you hand over your ticket, they will ask you what size noodle portion you want. Say "nami-mori" for small, "oh-mori" for large, and "toku-mori" for crazy. All sizes are the same price. To locate, look for the large red kanji on the wall outside.

By far one of the best ramen shops in Yokohama that is not iekei tonkotsu style. Their broth styles vary but mostly consist of chicken broth mixed with a salty oil. They have your usual toppings, seaweed paper, soft boiled egg, and of course your chashu pork which is soft, juicy and tender.

Check this place out, you won't be disappointed!

Tried the chicken sea salt noodles. Different from the conventional ramen. The noodles are chewy and of amazing texture. Chicken tender and fresh. Very delicious!!! Must not miss!