Rockin' Ramen: Yoshimura-ya at Guangximen

If there's a saturation point for good ramen houses in Beijing, we definitely aren't there yet. The new Yoshimura-ya at Guangximen splintered off from Invincible Ramen and manages to hold its own.

Soy broth ramen (RMB 35) is their specialty. You can get a bowl with extra vegetables for RMB 3 or extra meat for RMB 8. Salt broth ramen costs the same and foregoes some of the depth of the soy version for a more focused broth.

The teriyaki chicken bowl (RMB 28) was enjoyable, though a bit heavy on onions, while fried chicken (RMB 28) and gyoza (RMB 18) lived up to expectations.

We were skeptical about a grilled omelette with cabbage and bacon (RMB 36), but we got it because it was one of their half-off daily specials. It actually turned out surprisingly okay, though we would have preferred if they had left off the mayonnaise like we asked them to.

Invincible's three locations at Xiaoyun Lu, Sanlitun Village and Jianwai Soho will be more convenient for most of you, but Yoshimura-ya may prove capable of wounding its rival. A little competition could be a good thing for us eaters, so I say let the ramen wars commence.

Yoshimura-ya 吉村家 Daily 11am-11pm. 34-4 Guangximen Beili, North Third Ring Road, Chaoyang District (6429 9800) 朝阳区光熙门北里34-4