A cheap meal that gives ramen at Michelin-starred restaurants a run for their money. As the birthplace of tonkotsu ramen , Fukuoka Prefecture is a must-visit for lovers of pork-bone broth noodles, and you can bookend your time there with a bowl at the local airport, where you’ll find a lineup of famous ramen shops from all over the country at a place called “ Ramen Runway “. It’s become such a hotspot that even locals who aren’t travelling stop by there, and the store that draws some of the biggest crowds is Buta Soba Tsukiya , which has been attracting attention for a very unusual dish called “ Clear Tonkotsu “.
▼ The restaurant even has “クリア豚骨” (“Clear Tonkotsu”) printed on the noren curtain at the entrance. ▼ This sign at the front of the store also draws the eye, with its simplicity exuding an air of refinement. Tonkotsu ramen typically contains a cloudy broth which signifies rich, meaty, hearty flavours, so the big question with a broth this light is: Will it be equally light in flavour? It certainly looks exquisite, especially for the cheap price of 800 yen (US$5.
41), and the noodles and chashu pork are clearly visible beneath the glossy broth. The restaurant pays careful attention to the broth, finessing it so that it retains a strong umami flavour without the characteristic scent of pork bones. Instead of crushing the bones and cooking them at high temperatures, they remain uncrushed and are cooked slowly at a low temperature to ext.
