Hidechan Ramen Tombo Shop

Former Yoshimoto comedian Akamine Tombo (Koichi Akamine) turned ramen store owner opened Hidechan Ramen Tombo Shop in March 2019. This restaurant originally operated as Hidechan Ramen, a sister restaurant of Hakata Daruma, a legendary restaurant that has been in business for over 60 years. He took over that store and reopened it as the new “Tonbo Shop”. Although it is no longer connected to Hakata Daruma in terms of management, it too has attracted a lot of media attention as a popular Hakata tonkotsu ramen restaurant.

How good is the ramen made by such a former Yoshimoto comedian? I decided to visit the restaurant one evening and give it a try. Does it taste like Hakata Daruma, or is he creating his own unique tonkotsu ramen? I am curious…

A restaurant frequented by a nationally known comedian…Hidechan Ramen Tombo Shop is like this

I arrived at Hidechan Ramen Tombo Shop at around 8:30 p.m. on a weekday evening. Luckily, there was no line at the restaurant that day, and I was able to enter with zero waiting time. The restaurant seats nine customers at an L-shaped counter and one table for four. The background music in the restaurant is “Tombo” by Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi, which may have something to do with the fact that the owner, Tombo Akamine, used to imitate Tsuyoshi Nagabuchi when he was a comedian. The walls of the restaurant are lined with colored paper with the names of comedians written on them. Many of them are names of Fukuoka-based Yoshimoto Fukuoka comedians, but some of them are names of big-name comedians such as Downtown’s Hitoshi Matsumoto, Hiroyuki Yabe of Ninety-Nine, and Daisuke Miyagawa… Just by looking at this collection of colored paper, we can clearly see how popular Tonbo Akamine is. It is said that many comedians still come to eat ramen, so you may bump into your favorite comedian at the restaurant by chance!

Tombo Ramen: Tried the signature dish at Hidechan Ramen Tombo Shop. Is it the same as Hakata Daruma’s ramen? Different?

Let me introduce the signature dish, Tombo Ramen (850 yen including tax), that I ordered at Hidechan Ramen Tombo Shop. After about 10 minutes of waiting, the bowl of Tombo Ramen arrived in front of me…

The soup is bubbling like this, just like Hakata Daruma’s ramen. However, the color of the soup is much lighter, and I was expecting it to be lighter than I expected.

However, when I took a sip of the soup, I realized that my expectation was completely off the mark. The soup, which feels thick on the tongue, is extremely rich in pork bone flavor. And the smell of pork bone, which is irresistible to those who love it, stimulates the nose. Unlike the mellow soup of Hakata Daruma, this soup brings the punchy pork flavor to the forefront.

The noodles are very thin with a raw texture. They are very easy to eat and light, so even after drinking alcohol, it is easy to eat them.

The toppings we are looking forward to are three thick slices of chashu pork and a boiled egg. Both of them are soaked in sweet soy sauce sauce and can be easily eaten as they are.

Hidechan Ramen Tombo Shop‘s Tombo Ramen has a very strong and stimulating pork bone impact. It has a strong pork bone appeal, so there are those who like it and those who dislike it, but those who like it really can’t get enough of this flavor. I think I will probably find myself thinking, “I want to eat tonbo ramen again…” at some point in the future. In that sense, I think this ramen has an appeal that is somewhat similar to Jiro-inspired ramen.

Examples of other menu items at Hide-chan Ramen Tombo Shop (prices include tax)

• Ramen 750 yen
• Negi-mori ramen 820 yen
• Nitamago ramen 900 yen
• Chashu ramen 950 yen
• Mentaiko rice with cod roe 400 yen
• Chashu donburi 400 yen Noodle Refill 150 yen

Not as good as an izakaya, but there are drinks and snacks available… Access to Hidechan Ramen Tombo Shop is an 8-minute walk from the nearest station, Akasaka Station on the Fukuoka City Subway Airport Line.

Hidechan Ramen Tombo Shop also offers a snack menu after 7:00 p.m….

The menu is not as extensive as that of an izakaya (Japanese-style pub), but there are enough items to snack on while drinking beer. Hakata Ramen ShinShin, Nagahama Yatai Yamachan, and many other ramen shops where you can also drink alcohol are available in Fukuoka. This is a very economical restaurant where you can drink alcohol and finish with ramen. It is not the place for a big party, but it is a good place for a quiet drink by yourself.

Here are the details of the restaurant…