menya kookai puts other airport food to shame
When I travel, I tend to eat a lot. I view it as my consolation prize for putting up with the general unpleasantness of airports. On the way to my gate, I’ll pick up snacks, desserts, candy, full meals. All bets are off. Mama’s cranky and needs a treat.
But, as anyone who’s ever flown before knows, this is typically joyless eating. Airport food is generally overpriced, hastily made, and eaten out of boredom, extreme gluttony, necessity, or (in my case) all of the above. One thing it usually isn’t is tasty.
Well, leave it to Tokyo to break the mold when it comes to food quality.
Menya Kookai restaurant is a tiny ramen shop located in Terminal 2 of Narita Airport. Don’t let the airport location fool you. The ramen here is superb. In fact, I would say it’s better quality than a lot of the ramen I’ve had at ramen shops around the city.
The tonkotsu has a rich, deep, and powerfully flavorful broth. The ramen is loaded up with goodies, including both pork and chicken, bamboo shoots, sprouts, an egg, some Chinese broccoli, and seaweed.
The combination of pork and chicken in one bowl of ramen is fairly unique, and makes it feel like you’re getting a deluxe meal. And Kookai’s pork is one of the restaurant’s most winning attributes. It has a satisfying smoky taste and crisply charred edges that make it seem fresh off a barbecue, adding some homecooked integrity to the dish.
The tonkotsu can be a bit oily, though. The shoyu ramen is a good alternative because it’s less oily and not as heavy. However, while still tasty, the shoyu ramen simply doesn’t have as powerful or nuanced a broth as the tonkotsu.
In both the tonkatsu and the shoyu ramen, the noodles are fine but unfortunately not anything to write home about. It’s the broth here that makes the ramen shine, while the noodles are generally unremarkable. They can be a little too soft and don’t have the delicate, nuanced texture of Tokyo’s best ramen joints.
Kookai’s beef gyoza make a nice side dish. They’re not too big or overstuffed so you don’t feel sick trying to eat them along with your heavy tonkotsu.
If you ever find yourself flying out of Narita, I highly recommend getting there early and fasting for a few hours beforehand so you can fully enjoy this restaurant. However, be forewarned that you will never be satisfied with other airport food again.
REVIEW AT A GLANCE:
The food: Great quality ramen. Order the tonkotsu, or the shoyu ramen for a slightly lighter meal.
The experience: Small, typical airport restaurant tucked in the corner behind a McDonald’s. No frills here.
The cost: A bowl of ramen will cost around 1000 yen.
Bonus tip: Order some extra Chinese broccoli and sprouts for your ramen to giv it more crisp which will counteract the oil in the broth.
My review ratings are based on a scale of 1 to 5 sushis:
1 sushi — not very good, 2 sushis — okay, 3 sushis — good, 4 sushis — great, 5 sushis — beyond exceptional.
