Menya Kanetora Tenjin 沾麵 麵屋兼虎 天神本店 (Fukuoka, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

Our flight touched down on Japanese soil about half an hour earlier than scheduled. So, despite getting held up at the immigration counter by the huge lineup of tourists, we were able to arrive at our hotel about an hour ahead my estimation. That means more shopping time on our first day in Fukuoka (or does it?)!

But unfortunately, there was a change of plan as little nugget wanted to indulge in a bowl of Japanese ramen first.

Tucked away in a small alley across the street from Tenjin-minami Station (天神南駅), Menya Kanetora (沾麵 麵屋兼虎) is highly touted as Fukuoka's top ranked tsukemen ramen shop. Not surprisingly, there was always a lineup in front of this small 12-seater restaurant (during our visit).

Menya Kanetora's signature tsukemen is powered by a thick and umami-rich broth made by simmering a large quantity of pork bones, chicken bones, vegetables and seafood over a long period of time. 

The flavors were further enhanced by the dried fish powder adding some depth and sweetness to the mix.

I loved the smoky aburi, which came sizzling hot right from the charcoal grill. 

The thick, chewy noodles were the perfect match for the flavorful and gluey dipping sauce.

The small cubes of fatty pork belly provided another highlight to the meal. I thought they were equally delicious comparing to the smoky char siu.

This guy already declared this as the best ramen ever. There was a spicy version of it but I guess we'll leave it for our next trip to Fukuoka.

Food Rating: 6.5/10

Price: ￥￥￥

Address: 1/F Fukusyu Building, 4-9-18 Watanabedori, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka 810-0004 Japan

Closest Metro Station: Tenjin-minami

Tel: +81 (0)92 726-6700

Opening Hours: 10:15am - 10:45pm daily