Paris 2014 – Kotteri Ramen Naritake

I wanted to have ramen after my day at the Palace of Versailles. I misplaced the address and did not have Wi-Fi access. Based on memory, I managed to find this famous ramen shop which I’ve been to previously. It was a few streets behind the Louvre museum, and from there we asked people who looked local whether they knew where the ramen street was. I was told that Rue Saint Anne was the place famous for all things Japanese so we were headed for that direction. Of course, not everything is along that street. It could be adjacent or parallel but once in that area I could find my way. Before long I arrived at Kotteri Ramen Naritake. As expected, there was a queue. It was already 8:30pm but we had to wait about 20 minutes. Single diners gets to be seated almost instantly, so that’s how it works. Big groups – good luck. The influx of customers was non-stop and even when we left about 9:30pm, there was a still a queue.

Ramen with Egg – €10

This time, I requested for a diluted version of the soup up front because the original soup was too thick when I had it last year. Trying it both ways, I recommend that you just get the original thickness, enjoy the richness and then get sick of it after a few mouths. It’s better that way, because the diluted one made the flavour too mild and there wasn’t a sense of satisfaction. Now I understand the purpose of having the thick soup and since it’s even in their name (kotteri refers to thick soup), you shouldn’t have it any other way.

Chashu Rice – €4

This was an unexpected find. It was excellent. Chashu rice is commonly served at ramen joints, offered as a side. They will top chopped chashu on rice, sometimes with furikake, and you eat it all mixed up. What sets this apart from other ramen places is that the chashu was torched (aburi)! Anything with the burnt torched flavour is always special. The chashu was so tender and the charred smell made it heavenly. It was much better than the chashu in the soup which was just one dimensional.