Must-try foods in Hiroshima! 6 traditional, long-established and trending new foods

Hiroshima Ramen Takahiro: A must-try for your final stop at Ekinishi

Have you heard of Ekinishi, the area to the west of JR Hiroshima Station? It's a deep gourmet spot renovated from a private house from the early Showa period, and is lined with over 80 unique restaurants.

"Hiroshima Ramen Takahiro" was originally in Mukaiyō for 21 years, but moved to Ekinishi due to redevelopment in 2017. The big red lantern is the landmark.

When you pass through the red lantern, you will be greeted by a cheerful female hostess. The atmosphere is relaxing and comfortable. There are seven counter seats on the first floor, and table seats on the second floor.

In front of you at the counter is a generous serving of oden, served in a clear broth made from the best broth extracted from bonito flakes blended with Hidaka kelp and small fish from the Seto Inland Sea.

Oden is unusual at a ramen restaurant, but the restaurant offers it because they want customers to have a bowl of oden while they wait for their ramen.

For the toast, we recommend the proprietress' recommended "Setoda Lemon" (550 yen including tax). The way to drink it is like being a connoisseur, to gulp it straight from the bottle! It's a slightly carbonated, lightly sweet, refreshing lemon chuhai.

The oden dishes are reasonably priced at 150 to 200 yen including tax, and on this day we had the standard lineup of daikon radish, deep-fried tofu, cabbage rolls, beef tendon, and konjac.

"Ekinishi" (880 yen including tax) is a Japanese sake that can only be drunk at Ekinishi. The label features a picture of Ekinishi, and the bright blue bottle stands out. Inside is "Senpuku", a local Hiroshima sake.

And now for the long-awaited ramen! I ordered the most popular Hiroshima ramen "Shoyu" (700 yen including tax). The toppings are roasted pork, boiled bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, and green onions.

The "Oyster Ramen" (1,100 yen including tax), available only in the winter from November to March, is also said to be a very popular dish.

The soup is based on pork bones and chicken bones, and has a light soy sauce flavor that is typical of Hiroshima ramen. It has a refreshing taste while still retaining the flavor of pork bones, making it the perfect final dish after drinking.

The noodles are medium-thin and straight, with a chewy texture and a smooth finish. They mix well with the soup and have a delicious wheat aroma.

It comes with two slices of pork. The fat is juicy, and the more you chew the meat, the more delicious it becomes. The bean sprouts are carefully cut one by one, which is why they are able to have such a pure taste.

It's a great way to finish off a meal, and we also recommend enjoying some oden and gyoza as snacks to go with your ramen. In addition to the standard ramen, try the ramen made with seasonal ingredients!

Hiroshima Ramen Takahiro

"Okonomiyaki Kizunashin Premium Higashiekicho Branch" - A photogenic okonomiyaki that pursues innovation

Okonomiyaki Kizunashin Premium Higashiekicho Branch opened in May 2022, a 10-minute walk from Hiroshima Station. It is a popular restaurant with many local customers as it also has a parking lot.

The bright interior of the restaurant has 20 seats, including the counter and tables in front of the hot plate. At lunchtime, it gets very busy with customers! Hiroshima and Osaka are famous for okonomiyaki. In Osaka, okonomiyaki is made by mixing flour and ingredients before frying, but in Hiroshima, the ingredients are layered on top of each other before frying.

This restaurant pursues "originality and ease of eating" without compromising the traditional Hiroshima okonomiyaki style. They use minced pork instead of pork belly, which makes it juicy and easy to eat, and is particular about creating a cute appearance that is tall yet does not crumble.

Just watching the okonomiyaki being cooked right in front of you at the counter is entertaining. A thin layer of batter is topped with a variety of ingredients, including cabbage, onions, minced pork, and tempura flakes, which are then cooked, and after adding soba noodles, the okonomiyaki is rolled in egg and grilled. It's a performance that will have you coming back for more!

First, there is the signature menu item "Kizunagokoro Premium" (1,100 yen including tax). This new style of okonomiyaki, wrapped in fluffy egg, is also photogenic! It is topped off with an original blended sauce and plenty of spring onions.

The vegetables are soft, and the minced meat is combined with very thin noodles, so it's easy to cut with a spatula and eat. After the soft texture of the fluffy egg, you'll be greeted by the sweetness of the vegetables, the juicy flavor of the minced meat, and the savory accent of the fragrant squid tempura - this marriage is a blissful combination! The very thin noodles have a pleasant, crunchy texture that will have you eating more and more.

Another popular item is the "Beef Tendon with Green Onion and Mayonnaise" (1,300 yen including tax). The dish is topped with softly stewed homemade beef tendon and then grilled over a burner for a spectacular display!

The tender beef tendon spreads its delicious flavor throughout your mouth, and the fragrant roasted green onion mayonnaise adds a nice accent...! The chili threads add a spiciness to both the appearance and the taste. It's more filling than it looks, and it's very satisfying.

The teppan dish "Wagyu Koune" (800 yen including tax) is a standard dish in Hiroshima and is a rare cut of beef that can only be taken from about 2kg of one cow. The sweet fat and chewy, chewy meat is overflowing with flavor, making it a delicious dish you will never experience before.

Please enjoy the spectacular teppan performance and the latest okonomiyaki with both your eyes and your tongue.

Okonomiyaki Kizunashin Premium Higashiekicho Branch