(This is about the noodle from Kyushu, not the Shiba in our house.)
I rarely do restaurant reviews but today I want to introduce a fast-food chain called Ringer Hut in Japan, which specializes in Nagasaki Champon.
The danna would crave for Ringer Hut every now and then when we are back to Japan. I have had Ringer Hut many times before, while I think it is quite delicious, it never struck me as life-changing, as how Ichiran Ramen does for some foreign tourists.
But then I understood that it was because Champon is the danna’s soul food since he grew up eating it in Nagasaki. He said it is just like fried beehoon for me. Yeah that makes sense. My whole childhood was pretty much all about fried beehoon lolol. The school canteen sold it, birthday parties or any sort of gathering/party would for sure have it, my mom cooks it (until today).
Which is why we ended up naming our first pet Champon. If we ever have a second one in the future maybe I’ll consider Beehoon.
Anyway, back to Ringer Hut. It is one of the healthier fast-food options you can get in Japan.
It is pretty similar to ramen, yet so different. Ringer Hut especially focuses on healthy eating. Their slogan for this summer is, “Eat Japanese Vegetables”.
You get to consume at least 7 different types of vegetables in just one bowl of Champon (cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts, green peas, green onion, sweet corn and onion). Sometimes they go all overboard and keep adding on new seasonal vegetables. Once they had 10 types of vegetables and I thought that’s a little too much haha.
I really do love how beautifully colorful it is, green brown yellow orange, with Kamaboko adding even some pink tones to it. Such a happy bowl of yummy goodness.
This summer the theme is “Kikurage” – black fungus.
As if 10 types of vegetables doesn’t sound healthy enough, they also offer a “Yasai Tappuri” (Vegetable Abundant) menu.
You can go for extra vegetables, which is a whopping 367gm!!! For Champon, it can go up to 480gm!!!? That doesn’t even include the noodles. If the noodles are 300gm, and the soup is 200gm, the whole bowl is almost… 1KG?! Hahaha.
Other than Champon, they have another popular dish called Sara Udon. It is nothing like udon, though, more like very thin yee mee (crispy noodle), with the same thicken vegetable gravvy topping.
I ordered the Yasai Tappuri version (367gm). Honestly it’s a little too much for me but I ganbatte and finished the whole plate.
You will also be given dressings for your Sara Udon. I had Yuzu dressing and Ginger dressing. But I think it already tastes great without additional flavoring!
It is very much like our Cantonese Fried Noodle (Kung Fu Yee Mee)!!
Ringer Hut also serves the danna’s favorite Gyoza.And we love to eat it with Yuzu Pepper (the green stuff on the plate) instead of the usual Chili Layu.
Ringer Hut strives to have a wholesome menu so there are also the less-salt version. The Champon has 30% less salt and Sara Udon 25%. (It is not discount hor don’t so happily order this when you flip to this page of the menu and see 30% OFF lol.)
For weight watchers, there are also the zero-calorie seaweed noodle in soy milk Champon. And due to popular request from customer they also has “Noodle-less” Champon. I guess is for those who want to go light on carbs. So basically you are eating a whole bowl of just vegetables haha.
Their latest shoutouts:
1.FOC additional noodle!
2. All vegetables are locally grown (from within Japan)!
3.Using zero-cholesterol cooking oil!
4.Noodle flour are all made in Japan!
Maybe we foreigners won’t really understand what’s the big deal this but Japanese really has this obsession over everything “made/grown in Japan” (so do I, admittedly lolol), it gives them the peace of mind especially when it comes to something that goes into your body. You’ll never know, with all the horror stories about fake milk powder and stuff from another country haha.
Ringer Hut too, has now made the effort to use 100% local ingredients in order to support farmers. I find it amazing that a lot of restaurant chains (like Ootoya, Mos Burger, etc) have a notice on the ingredient’s origin pasted on the restaurant wall. “Today’s Carrot is from Aomori. Cabbage from Gunma, Sweet Corn from Hokkaido…” etc.
They are so serious about this that they even have information and feature stories about the sources of their ingredient origins.
(Carrot harvested from “Maple Farm”.)
While most people don’t care which part of the earth the vegetables they ingest sprouted out from, it is sure nice to know that they take things so seriously, and at least we are not eating fake onions. Made of recycled cat hairballs. XD.
Ringer Hut’s TV commercial:
Ringer Hut is from Nagasaki but you can find it in every city. Shibuya has two outlets if you are keen to try! 🙂
That looks so tasty!! your japan food pics always make me so hungry that fried noodle dish looks like the canto pan fried noodle dish!
cheers
diana
http://www.seaofblush.com
That’s one of the many things I love about Japan – the most things source from all over Japan concept. I happily pay the price knowing that the money that I pay will be going back to the community.
I think we walked into Ringer Hut once without purposely looked out for it. I loved it! Admittedly, I love my vegs.
We have our flight and accommodation booked in Osaka. I cannot wait to get back to Japan.
I dream of Kobe beef often.
That looks so good! And the clarification at the beginning that you weren’t talking about your dog made me laugh. –Hanna Lei
They have Ringer Hut in my area in California and it’s been my favorite spot since I was 10 (now 31). Yum! I just went there a few days ago as they have been closed for over a year due to reconstruction of the interior and part of the entrance. 👌
Omg so nice to know!!! 😀 I hope they re-open soon! ^^