In Sep. 2018, chicken and soy sauce ramen purveyor Shinasoba Tsukiya opened a new tonkotsu ramen restaurant, Buta Soba Tsukiya. However the soup is not the milky white kind you’re used to seeing in Fukuoka; it’s transparent! Without letting it boil, the soup is slowly simmered and the film painstakingly removed, leaving behind a bold, pure pork flavor with no odor. The flavor is enhanced because the pork belly used to make the roast pork is cooked in the same pot. Some fatback is added to the soup right before it is served to ensure a bold yet light soup. The thin, straight noodles, which are specially ordered, are made from 100% Fukuoka-grown ramen flour. The toppings of green onions and kabosu citrus are served separately because you should try the ramen as is first. The menu consists of just two dishes: buta soba (a.k.a. ramen) and buta-buta soba (ramen with extra roast pork). There are also six sides to choose from, including steamed dumplings.
Menu: Buta soba ¥650, buta-buta soba ¥800, noodle refill ¥150, extra soup ¥150, boiled tripe ¥700, steamed dumplings (3 pcs.) ¥500, boiled tomato with pickled ginger ¥500, potato salad ¥500, green chili pepper w/ pickled baby shrimp ¥50, draft beer ¥500, bottled beer ¥600, Kaku highball ¥500, lemon sour ¥500, shochu ¥400~, sake ¥500
*Prices to change from Oct. 1, 2019 following tax increase
*Foreign language menu: None / Cash only / Reservations not required / Smoking permitted
Originally published in Fukuoka Now Magazine (fn241, Jan. 2019)