A thin glass brings the strength of the noodles into focus

What stayed with me was a beer glass so thin I wanted to mention it before the tsukemen. At ヨコクラストアハウス, I ordered shio kombu-water tsukemen and a Heartland beer. I had never seen a glass this thin in a ramen shop. The bottled beer, drunk from that glass, felt light on the palate and had a gentle sweetness.

After that lightness, the noodles brought the strong flavor of wheat into focus. Even without dipping them into the broth, the noodles and kombu water alone were delicious. Rather than the shio dipping broth completing the main event, the noodles already arrive somewhere satisfying on their own. The thin glass may seem a supporting detail, yet it quietly pointed me toward the center of this meal.