Tonchin Ramen 屯京拉麵台灣

There are so many culinary advantages to living in Taiwan. One of which is the abundance of high-quality Japanese cuisine from both Japanese trained-Taiwanese chefs and authentic Japanese chains. Ramen nerds rejoice! There are plenty of chains and local stores to stand in line. I have been trying to educate myself on the nuances of ramen. What I can tell you so far is that ramen is good. Ramen is really good in the winter. I am beginning to understand why the Japanese needed to create a new word to define all the goodness. Ramen is umami, umami is ramen. 

Menu, pictured here poorly in poorly pieced together photos....

Tonchin ramen usually has a line. When my friend and arrived on Wednesday night there were only 5-7 people ahead of us, and we waited for less than 10 minutes. Tonchin offers a fairly conservative menu of 4 flavors with different variations (with the egg, with seaweed, corn, or everything). The menu is full of photos so pointing and grinning when ordering will get you what you want. The only hiccup I encountered was when the server asked if I wanted a medium or large bowl. Because both are the same price, this option is not listed on the menu. I misunderstood and thought he was asking how we wanted our noodles cooked (soft or normal). You eat and you learn. You can also get noodles and soup separately. There is a handful of sides, fries, chicken, pork chop, salad, and drinks.

I got the house special ($260 NTD / $8.50 USD): pork bone ramen, with all the stuff egg, seaweed and pork. The soup was substantial. The pork flavor is deep and rich, without tasting greasy. The light slicites of pork offer a nice break from the carb-fest that is noodles. Has anyone bowl of ramen ever been made less tasty by the addition of an egg? Not in my opinion. We also ordered fried chicken, because why not? In retrospect, it wasn't necessary, but delicious. I also appreciate any food that comes on a pile of crunchy sliced cabbage. According to this site, customers can request hair clamps and bibs for those who really like to get up close and personal with their ramen.

I can't say if this is the best in town, but it is a solid choice. Here's another helpful review from a more educated ramen eater if you need more encouragement.

屯京拉麵 Tonchin Taiwan
台北市敦化南路一段187巷36號
No. 36, Lane 187, Sec.1 Dunhua South Rd, Da'An Dist, Taipei