Ramen Tanbo: Michelin Bib Gourmand Shio Ramen in Gobo

Overview

In a quiet residential corner of Gobo City, the small shop Ramen Tanbo has drawn the attention of Wakayama's food lovers as a Michelin Bib Gourmand pick in the guide's first Wakayama edition. The name is simply the owner's surname, Tanbo; against Wakayama's usual tonkotsu-shoyu ramen, he takes the opposite tack — a clear, refined shio (salt) soup of chicken and seafood.

That soup layers Ohmi jidori and Amakusa Daio chicken with beef bone and aromatics, then hamaguri clam, oyster and sardine niboshi, finished with a lift of yuzu; house-made whole-wheat noodles and from-scratch toppings complete the bowl. Owner Shinji Tanbo, a former surveyor from nearby Yura, trained in Tokyo and then for two years at MIST in Hong Kong — the first ramen shop in the world to earn a Michelin star — before opening here in 2014. The signature shio ramen is the place to start; the menu also spans shoyu, tonkotsu, tantan and seasonal limited bowls. Cash only, around 20 seats and 20 parking spaces; hours vary by day and it can fill at peak times, so check the official channels first.