NAbura! -- Warm up after a hike with noodles in a friendly atmosphere.

**CLOSED**
(There is a new ramen shop in its place.)
After trudging through the rain for ten hours, I want nothing more than calories when I  get back to town. Local specialities like flying fish and sashimi are all good, but sometimes all you want is a bowel of noodles. And I'm not talking about chicken soup; I'm talking about ramen! Or even better. . . abura-men!

The literal translation of "abura-men" is "oil noodles," but don't let that turn you off. This is ramen without the broth water! Oh, I love the warm, salty greasyness of Kyushu-style ramen, but after a cold hike in the rain, sometimes I don't need my noodles to be soaked too! At NAbura, the signature dish comes in two phases: Phase 1 will fill your craving, and Phase 2 will fill your stomach!

Phase 1: When you order your noodles, the server will tell you to stir everything up as best you can. (You can add a little vinegar, too, but I like to save that for the next part. . . ) Even then, after you've slurped up the noodles, you're bound to end up with a pile scrumptious morsels at the bottom of the bowel. That's okay. In fact, do leave some extra morsels behind for the next phase!

Phase 2: Let the server know you've finished the noodles and he'll bring you a bowl of rice to dump atop the left-over morsels. I usually order the "Omori" (extra noodles) and together with the rice it's about the right size to fill me up.


If you're extra-hungry, it's all good though: Fried rice, or  garlicky gyoza, or fresh-tasting deep-fried chicken, or even ramen with the broth!






I like the atmosphere, too. It feels like it could be a little noodle shop tucked away in a big town. There's counter space in front of the TV, but there's also table-space and you can see into the kitchen.

By the way, if Nabura leaves you hungry for more ramen, at lunch time you can find ramen down the street at Jijiya, a local staple, or up the hill at Koshiba--but be forwarned: Koshiba is favorited by the locals and once they run out of broth, that's it for the day!

NAbura
Location: Anbo 140 (In the heart of Anbo.)
Hours: 11:30am-14:00pm, 6:30pm-9:30pm, closed on Sundays.*
Website: https://www.facebook.com/屋久島ラーメン-Nabura-1620380304955160/*Of course, hours are subject to change!