This time, I will introduce a Ramen restaurant that serves an authentic “Kotteri” ! If you don’t know, “Kotteri” is a thick and heavy Ramen style with a lot of fat ! The taste may be a bit odd for Europeans, but it is a type of Ramen that is extremely popular in Japan.
“Menkichi Ramen” in Paris
The place is called “Menkichi” and is located on “Rue Saint-Anne” which is around the Opera Garnier in the 1st “arrondissement” of Paris.
Menkichi is open for both lunch and dinner. I arrived just after 12:00 and got seated right away. The restaurant was almost full as the place is not big, so it gets busy really quick. Just after I arrived, people started to queue outside and it got really long around 12:30. If you don’t like waiting, I recommend going there as soon as the restaurant opens !
What kind of Ramen ?
They mostly serve pork bone-based broth Ramens. They do not stick to the traditional Hakata style and their Ramens taste more like Iekei. If you are already familiar with Parisian Ramen shops, you will probably find their style similar to Naritake’s (which sadly closed recently). It makes sense as the chef used to worked there before moving to Menkichi.
This time, I ordered a Shio Tonkotsu Ramen. To begin with, the soup was really rich and flavourful. But what I was most happy about was that the soup came really hot. Ramen restaurants in Europe often serve soups that I find too tepid. As for the toppings, the Chashu was thin, but tasty and delicious. It reminded me of the kind of Chashu you can get at a “Ramen shop“, a famous franchise of Japanese Ramen restaurants. It is also called “Rasho (ラーショ)” as an abbreviation and you will definitely see some if you travel to the countryside of Japan. Long story short, their Chashu was similar to Rasho‘s.
Moreover, they serve handmade thick noodles, which is hard to come by in Europe. So it was definitely most appreciated. The taste and the texture were both really nice and were a nice addition to the Ramen.
For this kind of quality, it feels very affordable, especially compared to the price of Ramens in Amsterdam.
Who do you recommend it for ?
I would definitely recommend the place to Japanese people as it’s hard to find this type of quality with such a nice amount fat on it. However, people who are not used to Japanese Ramens may find it too heavy and/or greasy. However, if you want to experience an authentic Japanese Ramen, please go there.
