麺屋武蔵 虎嘯 - Musashi Koshou, Roppongi

味玉つけ麺 - Tsukemen with Egg


     If you think the name looks familiar then it probably does - This is the third shop from the Musashi family that I have visitied. Although these visits are more of a coincidence than a desire to search them out specifically. This one was just stumbled across when looking for something anything to eat for lunch. Despite carrying the same, in my experience each Musashi differs greatly from the others. The do each seem to have a theme though. This one is tigers.

     Being right in the heart of Roppongi you would expect Koshou to cater to the clubbing crowd, but since it closes up at 10pm you might have to stop by before you hit the tiles. (If that's what you're into.) It did seem to have a healthy stream of people coming through and the ticket machine ranks high for ease of use. It has pictures on the buttons!

    The tsukemen itself was pretty good. A shoyu soup that was quite refreshing in the warmer weather and noodles similar to the store in Ueno. Albeit a little more natural tasting... The soup wari was also very refreshing and a nice way to finish it off. Although it did cause another sighting of the tiger...

Ramen Database

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Musashi Kosho Homepage

富山ブラック 麺家いろは - Iroha, Ikebukuro

ブラック味玉らーめん - Black Ramen with Egg, ￥880
 
    Lunch with Brian from Ramen Adventures turned out to be quite the adventure with Iroha located on the 12th floor of the Tobu department store in Ikebukuro which took about 20 minutes and four attempts to reach. Each time I ended up in a different building. Oh well, now I know...
    Iroha originated in Toyama and specialises in a black shoyu ramen and also a shrimp ramen dish, one of which they may have even won an award for...

    Ramen isn't your standard fare on the restaurant level of department stores which are usually filled with other 'classier' restaurants, but as the ramen world becomes more and more competitive and diverse, Iroha didn't seem at all out of place... 

   If I'm not mistaken this looks like it was the black style ramen. For all of their awards (One by my count) Iroha didn't quite live up to its reputation. A pretty solid bowl but seeming to lack something extra. I am usually a big fan of peppery ramens too... Is it worth the effort of navigating a massive department store?

I'll let you decide...

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Iroha Homepage