Soranoiro, and it’s sister shop, Salt and Mushroom, are a new breed of ramen shop that do free-style ramen. Ramen is relatively new to Japanese cuisine (I’m talking like 1900s new, but that’s still newer than soba, which came about in the 1800s) so it’s pretty open to interpretation and creativity. Free-style ramen tends to be fun and different, and while some bowls are just gimmicks, sometimes you come across a joint that just blows you away. Soranoiro is definitely one those places. They do a very, very solid bowl of shoyu (soy sauce based) ramen, but really, what you need to try are the specials and the veggie ramen. The veggie ramen comes with bright orange noodles — created with paprika for both color and flavor, the broth is similarly hued in orange from pureed carrots. There’s also an egg, a mess of vegetables, ham, and a slice of chicken. Because even though this is vegetable ramen, it’s by no means vegetarian. It is, however, a light and tasty bowl. But, if you have the chance to go, get the seasonal bowl. I had one topped with deep fried fish and eggplant and it sounds like it wouldn’t be good, but it was balanced, hearty, and delicious. Also, shout-out to the mushroom ramen at Salt and Mushroom. It wasn’t the prettiest bowl around, but it was so incredibly addictive.
