A small guide to Torikin's Cash-Only Ramen Ordering Machine

I was walking around Taiwan late one night and feeling hungry. Wanting to eat something other than fast food, I came across Torikin, a Japanese ramen restaurant not far from the famous Syntrend and Guang Hua Shopping Malls. As it was approaching 11 PM, I assumed this place would be closing soon, but to my surprise, it was open from 11:30 AM to 3 AM. This was just the alternative I needed.

How to Order

You start by queuing outside to place your order at the machine. The downside to using this machine is that it doesn’t have an English option, so if you can’t read Chinese characters, you’ll have to choose based on the pictures. Unfortunately, it only takes cash, so there are no card options.

Photo by Richard Elliott

They also have a policy that everyone who enters must order at least one bowl of ramen.

On the menu screen, you will see some options on the left-hand side. The first three are the broths:

• 店長推薦Diàn zhǎng tuī jiàn - House Recommendations

• 雞白湯Jī bái tāng - Tori Paitan in Japanese or White Chicken Broth

• 魚介醬油Yú jiè jiàng yóu - Gyokai Shoyu in Japanese or Seafood Shoyu

• 辛味噌Xīn wèi zēng - Karami Miso in Japanese or Spicy Miso

Followed by

• 小菜Xiǎo cài - Sides

• 米飯Mǐ fàn，加麵Jiā miàn - Rice，Add Noodles

• 冷凍拉麵禮盒Lěng dòng lā miàn lǐ hé - Frozen Ramen Gift Box

• 優惠套餐Yōu huì tào cān - Discount meals

Photo by Richard Elliott

Customising Your Bowl

Once you choose your broth, you can pick your toppings based on the pictures. You can choose from tender slices of chashu chicken, chashu pork, aijitama egg and dumplings.

You can also choose to add extra noodles or meat for free. Any extras, such as vegetables and drinks, are listed below; you can choose from them. You do get free water once you're seated, so I never really order drinks.

Photo by Richard Elliott

Once you pay, a ticket will be dispensed. Pass this to the server waiting inside. They will then guide you to your seat and ask you something like “麵條要什麼硬度Miàn tiáo yào shén me yìng dù?” “How firm would you like your noodles?”

Your options are:

• 極硬Jí yìng- Very Hard

• 硬yìng- Hard

• 普通Pǔ tōng- Medium

• 軟Ruǎn- Soft

I recommend the “Hard” option, as it has a nice texture and flavour.

There's one section when selecting your ramen that can be confusing at first, here's the breakdown of what it all means:

(必選三選一Bì xuǎn sān xuǎn yī) Required, pick one of three ("please select 1," marked 必選Bì xuǎn / mandatory):

• 加麵一球Jiā miàn yī qiú(替玉一回tì yù yī huí) — add one portion of noodles (kaedama, one refill)

• 肉增量Ròu zēng liàng — extra meat (the upsize above)

• 給老闆賺適量不用Gěi lǎo bǎn zhuàn shì liàng bù yòng — basically means "none needed, let the boss earn more." It's a tongue-in-cheek menu option that just means "no add-on, thanks." If you don't want extra noodles or meat, this is the one you pick so the form will let you proceed.

If you ever get stuck, you can just point to the sign at your seat; this is very common.

Photo by Richard Elliott

If you ordered extra noodles, they will hand you a ticket. They will say to you that when you are ready for your second serving, hand them the ticket, and they will prepare it for you.

The Food

“Torikin” 雞金 means “Golden Chicken” in Japanese. This is a fitting name because their specialty is ramen made with chicken broth and tender pieces of chicken.

I always go for the popular 糖心雞白湯拉麵Táng xīn jī bái tāng lā miàn (Tori Paitan Ramen with Soft-Boiled Ajitama Egg)

The chicken broth, which has been simmered for hours, is rich and creamy in flavour while maintaining a clean and savoury profile. The chashu chicken is tender and silky, seasoned with pepper that melts in your mouth, while the chashu pork slices provide a nice smoky contrast.

To balance the richness, the finely diced red onions add a refreshing crunch, and the fresh scallions add a nice aromatic finish. And lastly, one of my favourites is the Aijitama egg, it's got a nice umami flavour, and the egg yolk is like liquid gold.

If you ordered extra noodles, be sure to save about half of your broth. When you’re ready for your second serving, just hand your ticket to the chef. They’ll ask how firm you want the noodles again and prepare a fresh batch for you to add to your remaining soup for round two!

Photo by Richard Elliott

Final Thoughts

I always enjoy ramen; it’s one of the ultimate comfort foods here in Asia. I particularly like this store in Guang Hua because its location is very convenient, and it stays open until 3 AM, making it the perfect place for a midnight snack.

Photo by Richard Elliott