Yoshu Shonin (揚州商人) has been bringing Chinese-style ramen to Japan since 1990, now stretching to 34 outlets across the Kanto region in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama.
An amazing selection of ramen is available on the menu, with the most popular being Spicy-Sour Noodles (¥910) and Tantanmen Noodles (¥910). Spicy-Sour Noodles combines egg, pork, bamboo shoots, shiitake and leek into the mix, with Tantanmen using minced pork, spinach and Chinese pickles. Yoshu Salt Noodles (¥860) is another highlight, using chicken, shiitake, leek and bamboo shoots – and around 20 other types of ramen are also available if you can ever tour around the different locations!
Choose between thick, knife-cut noodles —tosetsu-men— or the thinner ryu-men variety of noodle, sets combining rice, gyouza or chahan are also available, as is the option to upgrade the (already thick) soup to a thicker version!
Other menu highlights include the steamed Xiaolongbao dumplings (pork, shrimp, truffle – available in pairs or assorted – ¥500 for 3), the annin-tofu pudding (¥390), and of course the wide ranging drinks menu (over 20 alcoholic options, such as Tsingtao beer, and several soft drinks too). Annin-tofu is a refreshing post-ramen dessert – it uses apricot kernels which have an almond taste and balances out the spicyness of some of the ramen.
One draw is that each branch is open until 4am in the morning, making Yoshu Shonin a good contender for post night-out grub.
See the list of locations here.
Tom Roseveare @tom.roseveare
Creative Director at Japan Travel, based in Tokyo. Feel free to reach out about living, working or travelling in Japan – just book a time.
