Soranoiro Ramen Restaurant – What is Chuka-Soba? Look Up To The Sky

March 1, 2021

A healthy ramen. Paradox or not?

Well, that is the concept of Soranoiro, a ramen restaurant located in Chiyoda Ward of Tokyo.

Soranoiro, which means Color of the Sky, develops its concept on the idea of providing an organic and healthy ramen, as its name may suggest. Along with the different seasonal ramens they have available, Soranoiro is famous for two types of ramen: a soy sauce based ramen, Chuka-Soba, and an all-vegetarian, Veggie-Soba.

Now, although I don’t mind my veggies every now and then, I visited Soranoiro for one reason and one reason only. To try the famous Chuka-Soba. This time around, I decided to order the Chuka-Soba Special, which had extra toppings than the regular. Hashtag I was hungry.

This Chuka-Soba is actually, regardless of all the hype over the seasonal veggie ramen dishes, the most popular item on their menu. It even had an instant noodle base on it. In fact, it was thanks to the instant noodle that drove me to visiting Soranoiro to try the rumored Chuka-Soba.

Of course, as the concept suggests, the Chuka-Soba at Soranoiro has organic ingredients with a light taste that gave off the perception of being healthier than other ramen. Great for those, like myself, who want to convince themselves that they are attempting to diet.

The soup is a fish broth with a soy sauce base. As I mentioned, the soup is light and very easy to drink. At the same time, there’s enough flavor and thickness that it blends and wraps well with the other ingredients, giving the ramen an outstanding overall balance. At times, I found myself not being able to let go of the soup ladle and had to remind myself to eat the noodles before they become soggy and soft.

Photo by Guilhem Vellut on Flickr.

Speaking of noodles, the one I ordered are medium thickness, Chijire-Men. Chijire-Men is what we refer to as non-straight noodles. This further encapsulates and accentuates the soy sauce based, fish broth soup. It also tangles with the smaller toppings, such as the green onions and Menma, or bamboo shoots, that add new textures and flavors to the overall dish.

With one look at the toppings, you will be convinced that this restaurant prides itself on fresh, organic, nutritious ingredients. I was especially impressed with the green onion, which were crisp, adding a different texture from the overall softness and lightness provided by the other toppings.

The Menma is relatively sweet in comparison to other Menma I have had in the past. This goes well with the deep, rich tastes of the flavored egg, the chicken, and the chashu, or roasted pork.

The mix of chicken and pork as the two main toppings was also a great way of fulfilling the concept of a healthy ramen. The chicken is white meat, but extremely tender and well-flavored. The pork, in comparison to the often seen fattier and juicier types, is a leaner chashu, while still maintaining the juiciness and tenderness that we all love.

Photo by すしぱく on Pakutaso.

Overall, the Chuka-Soba was an excellent ramen taking a very traditional ramen and modernizing it with new flavors, textures, and a focus on fresh and well balanced ingredients. Definitely a ramen I would recommend everybody to try, especially for those who would like to know what a Chuka-Soba tastes like.