Kajiken

Kajiken is a Japanese chain famous for its abura soba—think brothless ramen!  Its first USA storefront opened in Baltimore and you can bet I headed there quickly once the doors opened!

For some people, hot ramen on a summer’s day is too much.  Some even say that the broth alone is too rich for them.  Well, abura soba is quite the fix for that.  On one of my return trips to Kajiken, I brought one of my friends who’s not much of a soup guy and he was pleasantly surprised by how much he enjoyed his abura soba.  Abura means “oil” in Japanese and soba are buckwheat noodles, so you can think of them as noodles in a flavorful oil.

At this point, I’ve tried several of the bowls and I say before you get started with making your own bowl—try the original.  Experience the springy and chewy noodles, the pungent and crisp taste of the green onions, the crunch and acid from the fermented bamboo shoots, salty bits of dried seaweed, and the juicy and rich flavor from the braised pork belly.  Then don’t forget it’s all mixed with abura, or oil.  And there you have it, a light yet satisfying meal.

Although I haven’t tried the actual ramen served by Kajiken, I’ve had some of their other abura sobas, appetizers, donburis, and even desserts.  I’ve been pretty pleased! Why not the ramen though?  I just figure if it’s known in Japan for the abura soba and not the ramen…maybe I’ll keep going to my fave ramen places instead haha.

And of course, nothing like some red bean curd taiyaki and matcha ice cream!  A solid end to any meal.

Kajiken is a great place to stop by for a solid meal and a little walk around the Johns Hopkins undergraduate campus.  Honestly, I might have to add this to my rotation of meals that I cook at home.  It’s so fun adding some vinegar, black salt, and sesame seeds to taste.  I really love the idea of mazesoba and mixing in a few different things to personalize your bowl of noodles.   Adding a fried egg on top takes this dish to another level as well!  Do you plan to try Abura Soba, let me know in the comments!