WHAT WE ATE
- Tori Chintan – 75/100, Tokyo, 8 April 2025
Just a 5‑minute stroll from Shibuya Station, Kipposhi Ramen brings a bold splash of colour to Tokyo’s ramen scene with its surprisingly clear, vibrantly tinted chicken broths. The blue ramen here, in particular, has gone viral more than once—thanks to its hypnotic hue and photogenic presentation—but there’s more to it than looks. Built on a shio-style base and paired with tender sous-vide chicken, this is a lighter, cleaner bowl that doesn’t lose its character.
If you’re exploring ramen in Tokyo and curious about shops that lean creative without going full gimmick, Kipposhi offers a fun detour. It’s casual, quirky, and a good reminder that ramen doesn’t always have to be beige.
Tori Chintan: 75/100
Noodle: 25/35
The noodles here are medium thin, slightly wavy, and medium hydration — a fairly standard pairing for chintan-style soups. Served al dente, they have a firm core with a mochi mochi-style exterior that gives each slurp a nice bounce and texture.
Taste-wise, the noodle flavour is pretty muted. Part of it might be due to the soup’s saltiness — I measured it at 1.79, which is standard for Shio ramen but significantly higher than your usual 1.2-1.4 range in other types of ramen. There’s a mild wheat taste and a faint metallic tang that from the Shio, but nothing off-putting. Overall, the texture holds up well and slurps cleanly, though the flavour doesn’t stand out much against the punchy broth.
Soup: 25/35
The broth opens with that gentle warmth you’d expect from a clear chicken soup — light sweetness, a comforting umami base, and a clean savoury note that develops into sharper saltiness. There’s a faint aroma of garlic that trails off toward the end, giving it a little more dimension.
Of course, the eye-catching part is the crystal blue hue. This is what got the ramen viral — the colour comes from blue pea flower, which gives it a dessert-like look. If you’re from Southeast Asia, you’ll know this flower isn’t new — it’s used in plenty of traditional dishes, mostly for aesthetics.
Here, the blue colour doesn’t alter the flavour at all. It’s all for show. But the flavour underneath? Pretty solid. Think of it as a visually upgraded bowl of shio ramen — one that wears makeup but still keeps its foundation clean and classic.
Meat: 20/20
The chicken slices are surprisingly satisfying. They’re lean but not dry — decently thick, springy, and slightly chewy in a pleasant way. Texture is firm with enough give, and the meat is juicy with a soft, savoury umami flavour. There’s also a light sweet undertone and a faint sourish tang that makes it even more appetising. For a lean protein, this hits the mark.
Other Toppings: 5/10
Visually, the toppings are well-composed — this bowl definitely looks good on camera. But in terms of flavour contribution, they’re more of a support act.
- Shiranegi gives some light aromatic lift and a bit of piquant sharpness.
- Alfalfa sprouts add a soft, grassy vegetal note.
- Braised egg has a beautiful texture — set white, creamy yolk — but the marination is a bit heavy-handed. It leans salty with a strong mirin presence. Not unpleasant, but it overpowers the otherwise delicate balance of the soup.
Summary
It’s easy to dismiss this as a gimmick bowl — bright blue soup tends to invite that kind of judgement. But take away the colour and what you’re left with is a competent shio-style chintan. Clean, light, and nicely layered with a surprisingly solid chicken slice to carry the protein. Toppings don’t do much, but the overall bowl isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s still ramen that holds up in terms of flavour — just dressed for social media.
DISCLAIMER
One man’s meat is another man’s poison.
Find out more about our palettes and how we evaluate our ramen here. 😉
