Fukuoka ramen master sets up shop at Ranch Market in Chandler

🍜 Chandler’s ramen scene just got a serious credibility boost. Iro Shoten has opened at the Ranch Market plaza on the northeast corner of Chandler and Dobson, and it’s putting a Fukuoka ramen chef behind the counter, which is not a small deal for anyone who follows the genre closely.

The name behind Iro Shoten is Hirohata Norihiro, the chef and owner of Mendo Hanamokoshi in Fukuoka’s Yakuin neighborhood. It’s a tiny, counter-only shop – Hirohata reportedly runs it solo, handling the noodles, the broth, and the chashu himself – and it’s been named to Tabelog’s ‘‘Top 100’’ ramen list for western Japan for several years running.

That’s one of the more meaningful stamps of approval in Japan’s notoriously competitive ramen world, where thousands of shops are competing for a spot on that annual list.

Part of what built Hirohata’s reputation is his refusal to scale up: Mendo Hanamokoshi caps its output at roughly 40 bowls a day, a self-imposed limit that’s turned the shop into a lines-out-the-door destination rather than a high-volume operation.

What’s on the menu

The full menu is up on Iro Shoten’s website, and it confirms the early chatter: everything on the ramen side comes from a single tonkotsu pot, poured into three bowls.

Classic Tonkotsu is the bare-bones version – broth, negi, house red chili spice. Premium Tonkotsu (pictured) adds pork chashu and a soft-boiled ajitama egg. And the house favorite, Super Chashumen, loads on extra pork belly and nori.

Want more on top of any of those? There’s an à la carte ‘‘extras’’ list – more chashu, an extra ajitama, kaedama (extra noodles), even extra broth – plus a recommended add-on set with a few pieces of everything.

Beyond ramen, the menu leans into small plates (karaage, shrimp tempura, chashu fried rice, a daikon salad, and a trio of raw fish crudos) and three signature sushi rolls, including one named the Hanamokoshi Roll, a direct nod to Hirohata’s Fukuoka shop, built with spicy tuna and cucumber topped with hamachi, garlic puree, kumquats, and serrano.

Hours

Iro Shoten is open 4-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 4-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, and noon-9 p.m. Sunday.