ASCII Gourmand The young genius who has the momentum to drop flying birds was not a "ramen lover" !? The one and only ramen brand King Seimen (Tokyo, Oji) that built up ignorance in the wrong direction (Part 2)

When I eat ramen, "story" is more important than "taste". "Story" is the best seasoning that surpasses anything. Introducing the "story" that the store has spun so far, and the "story" that I have spun with the store without permission.

Continuing from last week, for two weeks I will spin a "story" by a young genius who currently has three ramen shops in Tokyo, led by "Ramen Koike" who won Michelin's Bib Gourmand in 2016.・ Mr. Hiromitsu Mizuhara's latest shop "King Seimen". How did Mr. Mizuhara, who says he didn't like ramen, create three stores that have grown into famous stores that now represent Tokyo? The second part is about to begin!

The owner, Hiromitsu Mizuhara

(* Synopsis up to the last time) Mr. Mizuhara, who was interested in the restaurant business but couldn't find what he wanted to do, changed jobs. became. And he decided to leave "Torikizoku" with her at that time and open a ramen shop. In response to the tsukemen boom, I played with pork bones and fish and shellfish. At first, it was difficult for customers to enter, but the taste was improved and it became a popular restaurant. However, this time, even though I was busy, I didn't have enough sales to hire people, and I was physically and mentally shaving. Inevitably, Mr. Mizuhara decided to overwhelm his wife's opposition and change the business format to ramen, which allows him to spend more time serving customers more efficiently than tsukemen in the cooking process.

September 2014. "Tsukemen Koike" has been reborn as "Ramen Koike".

Ramen Koike appearance

When changing to ramen, Mr. Mizuhara noticed "niboshi". Around this time, the “niboshi boom” was taking place in the ramen world, and the number of shops offering various types of niboshi ramen, from light to rich, was increasing, and one ingredient, niboshi, was becoming one genre. Mr. Mizuhara was shocked to say, "There is such a delicious ramen," as he ate around the shops that have become a hot topic for sardines, and began to think, "I want to make sardines myself." I did.

However, Mr. Mizuhara thought, "If you just imitate the popular taste, it will be just a deteriorated version of a popular shop, and sooner or later you will get bored." Mr. Mizuhara tried and errored how to put it in his ramen.

Many of the things that were popular at that time were specialized in making the flavor of dried sardines intense, and there was a tendency to enjoy the whole taste of dried sardines, including bitterness and sardines. However, this was something that was made for freaks who were accustomed to eating ramen. Of course, this style of sardine ramen was outstandingly delicious, and Mr. Mizuhara himself loved it, but he said, "In the first place, I was doing this for the first-time customers who came in with local regulars and fluttering. Is ramen suitable? "

And, "If you make the dried sardines so strong, the customers we are targeting will not be able to eat." Having decided that, Mr. Mizuhara decided to make a niboshi ramen with a wider frontage. We have created two types of flavors, "niboshi ramen" and "rich ramen," saying, "While keeping the umami of the niboshi properly, do not let it feel bitter or astringent." I was strongly conscious of receiving not only the light specification "niboshi ramen" but also the thick specification "rich ramen" for everyone.

Niboshi ramen

Rich ramen

In this way, "Ramen Koike", which has reached a new beginning with dried sardines, is flooded with light users, mainly local regulars, saying, "You can eat sardines in Koike." And the core ramen freak who heard the rumor also visited the shop. As a result, the number of customers has increased more than when I was in Tsukemen, and I am busier than ever.

However, sales have increased 1.5 times, and profits have been increased to some extent, so Mr. Mizuhara urged his wife to "hire people soon". However…….

His wife was very opposed to this.

Even when he decided to stop tsukemen, his wife was against it. The crack at that time was not completely filled. At that time, his wife hated change and refused to change again. His wife was always worried, saying, "What the couple has built up steadily will break at once."

Originally, the two opened a store with the goal of developing multiple stores. However, as I faced the customers directly, my wife began to think, "I want to protect this one store, which is small but loved by regulars, as a couple."

On the other hand, Mr. Mizuhara is Shoshi-kantetsu. The option of stopping when the store got off to a good start and the possibility of multi-store development that I had longed for was not accepted at all.

The two talked over and over again, and even developed into a story, "Let's quit the store as it is." However, the gap between them was still not filled.

In the end, the two decided to take different paths.

"I think she was a craftsman more than she was. She was envious of herself who couldn't be a craftsman, but she still couldn't understand her feelings ..."

In 2015, after discussions, Mr. Mizuhara remained in the shop and decided to continue "Ramen Koike". She has to open a shop to survive, so she has no time to be sentimental. She hired an employee and desperately thought about turning the store around.

At first, I hired a part-time job, but Mr. Mizuhara immediately thought about hiring an employee and put it into practice. Considering labor costs, part-time work can be reduced, but it was Mr. Mizuhara's policy to prioritize the stable operation of the store. By the way, even now that there are 3 stores, the policy of "all employees" has not changed, and currently 12 employees are working under Mr. Mizuhara. As I mentioned in the first part, Mr. Mizuhara himself used to fly a lot, so I can understand the feelings of the people who fly (laughs), so he always pays attention to the treatment of employees.

It wasn't easy for her to get all the employees together without hiring a part-time job and fix it. However, with the acquisition of Bib Gourmand in 2016, the number of applicants for employees increased in proportion to the increase in the evaluation of the store, and Mr. Mizuhara was finally able to solidify the ground.

In this way, in 2018, we opened our second store, Chukasoba Nishino, in Hongo 3-chome. We have taken the first step toward the long-awaited store development. While looking at the properties in various parts of Tokyo, I chose the current property by comprehensively considering the location and rent. It is said that Mr. Mizuhara fell in love at first sight with the fact that the interior was made very beautifully because it was originally an eel shop.

Second brand "Chukasoba Nishino" in Hongo 3-chome, Tokyo

However, there was one fatal thing about this property when considering opening a ramen shop. There were only two gas outlets. Considering making ramen normally, it is an impossible facility. However, Mr. Mizuhara, who is not particular about ramen in a good way, changed his mind to "think about ramen that can be expressed with this equipment."

For Mr. Mizuhara, who originally had little experience with ramen, the only weapon he could say was "niboshi." However, Mr. Mizuhara thought, "If you serve the same ramen in the city center, customers will not have to go to Kamikitazawa, and the value of" Koike "will decrease." I had no intention of doing it.

As a result, we repeated trial production based on dried sardines, and completed a transparent cup of sauce made mainly of white soy sauce, combined with some seafood and animal soup stock. A soup that you will never get strange and you can even remember nostalgia. But when it comes to something similar to ramen, there is nothing similar to it. It was a realization of "unlikely" ramen.

Chinese noodles

In addition to this "Chukasoba", "Nishino" has another signboard menu "Sansho Soba". This is based on "Chinese noodles" and uses Japanese pepper, but it is not a so-called numbing Japanese pepper, but a structure that enjoys the refreshing scent of Japanese pepper. Again, this has hit the "unlikely" exquisite side.

Sansho soba

This taste quickly became a hot topic, and with the help of its good location, many customers visited and it quickly became a popular queue shop. The ramen of "Nishino" is highly evaluated because it opened in February 2018 and was selected as Bib Gourmand in November of that year.

Mr. Mizuhara was able to carry out objective analysis and thorough research without being influenced by emotions and feelings because he was not overly obsessed with ramen. As a result, he was able to create an "unlikely" ramen that no one had ever made. It can be said that "I didn't like ramen" really refined Mr. Mizuhara's sense.

"Nishino" also suffered from a shortage of staff for a while, but it became stable in about half a year. And since then, promising applicants for employees have gathered more and more.

"I want to work with these people. To do that, I have to open a new store." With that in mind, Mr. Mizuhara decided to open a new store just one year after the opening of "Nishino". That is "King Seimen".

Tokyo Oji's third brand "King Seimen"

As the name suggests, the concept of "King Seimen" is "homemade noodles". Originally, Mr. Mizuhara always thought, "I shouldn't touch the noodles." However, every time I learned more about ramen, my thoughts on noodle making grew, and now that I have excellent staff, I decided to take the plunge and decided to make homemade noodles.

I wasn't worried about the technical aspects of noodle making, as I was able to learn a lot from the owner who makes homemade noodles. Rather, the question was, "What kind of noodles do you want to make?" After worrying about Mr. Mizuhara, he decided to aim for noodles like Shirakawa Ramen and Sano Ramen that he loves. However, he couldn't make noodles by hand, so he decided to make noodles with the goal of "making noodles like handmade noodles with a noodle making machine".

Introduced the long-sought noodle making machine

Along with that, I repeated research to make the soup an animal-based soup with soy sauce like Shirakawa ramen. And in fact, when "King Seimen" opened in March 2019, it was offered under a menu called "Soy Sauce Ramen." However, Mr. Mizuhara was not satisfied with the result and soon disappeared from the menu. I ate it at the beginning of the opening and thought it was very delicious, but unfortunately, Mr. Mizuhara said, "It was so complete that I couldn't tell what was different from the famous Shirakawa store." .. I hope in my heart that it will be resurrected again someday!

Phantom soy sauce ramen (currently not offered)

Due to the failure of "Soy Sauce Ramen", the taste of "King Seimen" is different, but "Shirodashi Ramen" and "Sansho Ramen" which are almost the same as "Nishino". I decided to install it in the main.

White ramen

Sansho Ramen

Mr. Mizuhara felt defeated, but he changed his mind to "homemade noodles for sale" and decided to launch "Wonton" as a further sale. Wonton itself is also offered by "Nishino", but in "King Seimen", the menu was made more clearly in the form of "Wonton noodles" to differentiate it.

When it comes to wontons, many people enjoy the texture of smooth skin, but Mr. Mizuhara stuffs the ingredients into bread with the idea that he wants to eat a lot of ingredients. There are two types of "King Seimen", "Meat Wonton" and "Shrimp Wonton", both of which are finished so that you can fully enjoy the deliciousness and texture of meat and shrimp. I would like you to order "Wonton noodles"!

Shrimp wonton

Also, from about the month before last, a new menu has been added to "King Seimen". It is "pork bone fish and shellfish tsukemen". Yes, we have revived the items offered at "Tsukemen Koike," which can be said to be the origin of Mr. Mizuhara. Even if it says revival, it is a new taste created by Mr. Mizuhara's technique now, which should be said to have almost no remnants of those days.

"I started making homemade noodles, and I made it with the hope that you could enjoy a menu that is completely different from white noodles. If someone who knows the taste of" Tsukemen Koike "at that time eats it, it will be much better. I think you'll be amazed at how much progress you have made (laughs). "

The soup is not too thick and is a balanced type that the fish and shellfish do not insist too much, and it has a strike taste in the middle personally. The noodles are also made with the freshness and scent of wheat that are unique to homemade noodles. Even though it has only been two months since we started offering it, it seems that the number of male customers has increased as early as the number of repeaters, seeking tsukemen.

Pork bone fish and shellfish tsukemen

Another tsukemen menu "Tsukemen Taiwan" is also popular

Mr. Mizuhara operates the shop with the first and foremost consideration of local customers and regulars who like their ramen. For example, if you do a distinctive limited menu, ramen freaks who have the power to send out on SNS may come to eat and spread the information. But it's only transient. In fact, even though 200 people visit "King Seimen" a day, it is often the case that no tweets are posted. Even if it doesn't become a hot topic on SNS, it reaches the people who reach it. Mr. Mizuhara thinks that is ideal for the store.

So far, I have consistently spun Mr. Mizuhara's stance that "I am not a ramen craftsman." That doesn't mean that they are rejecting or denying "ramen craftsmen." Rather, Mr. Mizuhara has always held his longing feelings. Since he became a ramen shop owner, he once wanted to aim for it. However, seeing what the top-level craftsmen are doing, he was reminded that "I'm definitely not an enemy. I'm not prepared for that" and said, "Don't touch this area." I changed my mind.

"I always felt respect for the ramen craftsmen and a sense of inferiority to it."

Mr. Mizuhara says so. "How do I survive among such fierce men?" As a result of thinking about what the craftsmen can't do and what they can do, I've been crazy about it.

"Create a taste and concept by referring to trends and customer needs" "Provide ramen with an unlikely taste without getting strange" "Anyone can make ramen with many employees Maintain a stable shop that can be done "

He says that he has come to see his own charm. On the contrary, if I continued to stick to becoming a craftsman, I would definitely not be able to gain the popularity as it is now.

"It was hard to accept the reality that I couldn't be a craftsman, but now I'm not at a loss."

Currently, while many ramen shops are competing, Mizuhara-san's shops are lining up as popular shops. After being able to produce the results, Mr. Mizuhara was finally released from the curse of the "ramen craftsman."

One of the ramen shop owners that Mr. Mizuhara is acquainted with is Mr. Sei Iyama of "Yatagarasu" in Kudanshita. It is like drawing a picture of the "ramen craftsman" that Mr. Mizuhara longs for, which is a series of limited-edition ramen that has been carefully selected and makes many ramen freaks enthusiastic. Mr. Mizuhara has a strong respect for Mr. Iyama, saying, "I can't imitate that sharpened technique and the creativity that breaks the existing mold."

2S with Mr. Iyama Sei (Iyamachikara), the owner of "Yatagarasu". The theme is "Youth is late (laughs)"

On the other hand, as a result of hearing from Mr. Mizuhara about store management and company initiatives, Mr. Iyama said that he gave up on store development, saying, "I can't imitate it at all." In this way, those who have things that they don't have are building a relationship that respects and recognizes each other.

In fact, Mr. Mizuhara was planning to open his fourth store in Kanda in March of this year. The name of the restaurant is also decided to be "Kinryu", and the menu also offers Mizuhara-style seafood-based salt ramen and mixed soba noodles with green pepper steak (chinjao roast) with the cooperation of my ally, Mr. Iyama. I had decided. It was announced on SNS, so I think some people were looking forward to the opening. However, due to store construction troubles and corona, it became difficult to open a store in Kanda.

However, it seems that the long-awaited fourth store of Mr. Mizuhara will open soon after changing the location, as it is said that another store is in sight. Let's look forward to it!

Mr. Mizuhara says, "The ramen craftsman gave up." Certainly, considering the general definition of "ramen craftsman", Mr. Mizuhara may not be the case. However, considering that ramen has become so diversified and various types of shops are crowded, the definition of "ramen craftsman" should change.

Mr. Mizuhara does not have the "stickiness" that tends to be a so-called good story, but he always thinks about what is best for customers and employees and makes ramen in a way that makes it possible. I think that sincere appearance is exactly the image of a new "ramen craftsman".

I would like you to eat "King Seimen" and "Ramen Koike" and "Chukasoba Nishino" ramen while spinning your own "story".

Hirofumi Akaike (Fuji TV employee)

Joined Fuji TV in 2001. He has planned many programs specializing in ramen such as the drama "Mr. Koizumi, who loves ramen" and the documentaries "NONFIX Dokkyu Noodles" and "RAMEN-DO". He has been eating and walking for more than 20 years since his college days, and even now, he energetically eats and walks in the center of Tokyo between work. I love Ramen Jiro.

Hyakumenjin (https://ramen.walkerplus.com/hyakumenjin/)

Twitter @ekiaka