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I’m happily on record as a heavy ramen skeptic.
Granted, it’s a bit more nuanced than that, because I do love a good bowl of ultra-thick tonkotsu ramen. You know, the kind of broth that requires simmering heaps of animal bones in huge pots for untold hours until the liquid becomes so viscous you’ll need to take a nap after slurping through half a bowl.
It’s not exactly the choicest of entrees when it’s 90 degrees out on a hot July day. But let’s just say it is February in Chicagoland, and bone-chilling weather surrounds us. In theory, what’s the most fortifying bowl of ramen you could try?
That’s easy. Make your way to a strip mall in suburban Schaumburg, where you’ll find one of the heartiest styles of them all — Jiro-style ramen served at the recently opened Chicago Ramen Annex in Schaumburg.
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This is the latest project from chef Kenta Ikehata. Born in Japan, he first achieved stateside success with the launch of the Tsujita chain of ramen joints around Los Angeles. But over the past three years, he’s gone all in on Chicago’s northwest suburbs, first with Chicago Ramen, which I immediately crowned as one of the best ramen shops in the area in 2020. (Technically, it tied for first with Menya Goku, but you get the idea.)
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After a slight detour with the opening of Chicago Sushi, last year he opened Chicago Ramen Lab, a takeout-focused project in Rolling Meadows. Now we have the Chicago Ramen Annex, which specializes in Jiro-style ramen, an absurdly meaty and intense style that first captured Tokyo’s attention in 1968.
I’ll be perfectly clear: Jiro-style ramen is not for everyone. I’m not sure I’ll even be able to look at it in July. But right now, when the weather dips below freezing and the wind howls, there is no better elixir to battle the winter.
Jiro-style ramen is neither complex nor subtle. It is thick, meaty and garlicky, with an incisive soy sauce backbone. Flecks of pork fat litter the top, adding even more heft to a bowl that wasn’t lacking any. The noodles are wavy and substantial, latching onto the broth as you remove them from the bowl. Huge chunks of tender, fatty pork bob in the liquid. Though they look imposing, poke them with your chopsticks and they tenderly fall apart.
All that heaviness is countered somewhat by the hearty handful of cabbage and bean sprouts piled on top, which adds a crunchy relief from the onslaught of pork. As is common in ramen shops, you could add even more toppings. But with a dish already so hefty, I personally can’t recommend adding more meat or even an egg. I did love the jiro negi, which adds a whole tangle of stir-fried green onions that lends a biting sharpness to each sip.
Instead of toppings, personalize your bowl with the condiments available for free. In fact, a sign on the table declares customers “must use garlic and onikasu.” Though no one will reprimand you for ignoring this warning, it is fascinating to tinker with each to personalize your bowl. The former is really nothing more than a whole container of chopped raw garlic, which adds a fierce funkiness. The latter is a moderately spicy dried red chile mix that Ikehata first used at Tsujita, and it creates a warming glow that lingers beautifully on the tongue. Just be judicious.
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Considering how hulking an order can be, it’s perfectly understandable if Jiro-style ramen doesn’t sound like a fit for you. Fortunately, Chicago Ramen Annex offers a number of other tempting bowls that Ikehata has already mastered at his other locations. That includes a wonderful chicken ramen that features a gorgeous golden broth and impeccably tender slices of chicken. This will taste particularly lovely in the summer. The menu also includes tsukemen ramen, a style where the noodles are served on the side, leaving you to dip them into a bowl of extra-thick broth.
The shop also offers a range of appetizers, including chicken kaarage, gyoza, shrimp tempura and pork buns. I can’t comment on these, if only because with ramen this heavy, why would you possibly need more food? I’ll never quite understand why local ramen shops do this.
Still, I have nothing but respect for Ikehata. Not only does he serve some of the best ramen in Illinois, but he’s also made a point of introducing the public to a number of lesser-known ramen styles. That’s especially impressive considering he managed to do all of this while dealing with a pandemic.
While I’d still love to see an explosion of lighter styles of ramen, I’ll never argue with a bowl of Jiro-style ramen as well crafted as this one.
nkindelsperger@chicagotribune.com
Chicago Ramen Annex
1608 E. Algonquin Road, Schaumburg
847-907-4755
Eat. Watch. Do.
Tribune rating: Very good, two stars
Open: Sunday to Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Thursday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to midnight
Prices: Ramen $12-$18
Noise: Conversation friendly
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible, bathrooms on first floor
Ratings key: Four stars, outstanding; three stars, excellent; two stars, very good; one star, good; no stars, unsatisfactory. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.