六厘舎TOKYO - Rokurinsha, Tokyo Ramen Street

特製つけめん - Special Tsukemen

    Having finally wandered past the jewel in the crown of the recently renewed Tokyo Ramen Street, Rokurinsha, without seeing a line of more than an hour it was time to see what all the fuss is about. Having said that, the line was still a good 45 minutes long...

   Which some might say is too long for a toddler, but not our intrepid couple above (looking down) who seemed content to have their crying daughter scream herself hoarse. Of course they knew she was making a scene, so they tried the "old let's-leave-you-up-the-other-end-of-the-line" trick and let her scream into our ears for a bit. Considering how much I hate lining up, this is not what I needed, nor what anyone else should have to put up with.

   I went with the slightly pricier tokusei tsukemen since it could be a while before I'm back, put on my paper bib and got stuck in. It has taken a long time to get to Rokurinsha, which is the originator of the popular tonkotsu gyokai tsukemen at its honten near Osaki station.

   

   It could have been the build up and the anticipation but I was left wondering what all the fuss is about. Sure, I finished the bowl and enjoyed it - the thick, chewy noodles and the shredded pork in the pricier bowl were both highlights - but I feel I've had better bowls of tsukemen (albeit from other very highly-rated shops). 

   If the knowledge that you've tried the original tonkotsu gyokai tsukemen is of concern to you, then it's worth a trip, but Tokyo residents are definitely spoilt for choice in this regard...

Ramen Database

Google Maps

ソラノイロ - Sora no Iro, Kojimachi

特製ベジソバ - Special Veggie Soba

    Since opening in June 2011, Sora no Iro has been one of the most hyped shops in Tokyo with some hailing it as the best new store of the year. Having a master that graduated from the famous Ippudo certainly doesn't hurt either... Anyway, it was probably about time I visited.

    With a bright and lively atmosphere inside and bottles of alcohol on the counter it almost a resembles a small Izakaya where you can stay and have a chat, but the jar of rubber bands on the table to help customers keep their hair out of their food suggest that people are here for serious eating business.

      Although I visited during the Olympics while they had a special 'Olympic' tsukemen, I went for the Veggie Soba which I had been craving for 12 months... Don't let the name fool you though - The Veggie Soba is as vegetarian friendly as your regular bowl of ramen.

    See?

    But that's not so say that there aren't a lot of interesting and different vegetables here. I can safely say that this was the first time I have had broccoli and capsicum in a bowl of ramen (definitely the first time together). The soup has a home-cooked vibe to it that wouldn't be out of place on a cold winter day while the noodles are wider and flatter than normal.

   A thoroughly enjoyable bowl and I'm glad I made the trip, but I ended up leaving thinking that I probably won't be back if I'm craving ramen. As much as I love the fact that you can add anything to it and call it ramen this seems a little too far. I did savour the experience though...

Ramen Database

Google Maps

麺や 七彩 - Shichisai, Tokyo Ramen Street

喜多方ラーメン - Kitakata Ramen

     Another visit to Tokyo Ramen Street that again happened by chance so why not, eh? This time to Shichisai which is a pretty popular store - particularly for it's chashu... Although the hype does semm to have died down a little and on a busy Sunday afternoon was one of the least crowded stores in the strip.

    They had a pretty large variety of different soups and I went for the Kitakata ramen. The first time I had this style of ramen was actually in Kitakata in Fukushima prefecture, but that was before my ramen nerd-dom had really kicked in so I can't remember much about it. I do remember liking it though... This one seemed pretty good too.

   And the obligatory chashu close-up.

   The most distinguishable feature of Kitakata ramen is the noodles which are flat and curly. They also tend to be pretty chewy... and delicious.

   I was pretty impressed with Shichisai. The soup was quite simple which suits this style of ramen and the chashu was, as expected, right up there with the best - very tender. Would I go there again? Probably...

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Tokyo Ramen Street Homepage

塩専門ひるがお - Hirugao, Tokyo Ramen Street

塩玉らーめん - Shio Ramen w/ Egg, ￥850

    Another visit to Tokyo Ramen Street and another failed attempt at lining up for the famous Rokurinsha which seems to always be an hour or so long. But since this is 4/8 I'll soon be able to get the whole set. This will certainly be fulfilling... Hirugao was chosen as the backup plan since it is famous for it's shio ramen.

    I don't remember a lot about it, but it was a little more complex and layered than your average shio ramen. So it could be guilty of having just a little too much going on at once. But there were no problems getting the job done.

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Hirugao Homepage

あたりや食堂 - Atariya, Akihabara

雷々麺 - Rairaimen, ￥800

    Another newish store, opened in July, and another first for this blog - soupless ramen. This original recipe originated in Miyazaki prefecture and was created by the chef's father (who still runs a store in Kyushu). This brother and sister team came here to see how the store goes in Tokyo. Unfortunately, as you might imagine, there weren't many customers on a Saturday night, but I could imagine lunchtime on a weekday being pretty hectic.

    The chef was chatty and friendly and warned me that it was "chotto salty." Got it.

    As it turns out, soupless ramen can look a lot like regular ramen when it is served. However it pretty quickly turns itself inside out - particularly if you follow the how-to-eat instructions which recommend eating the noodles first then making an attack on the toppings.

    A pretty spicy affair and the sauce is punctuated by sweet, thickly-cut pieces of onion and chunks of satsuma age, a fried fishcake that hails from Kyushu. I'm not usually a fan of soft noodles but I think they were well-suited to this style of ramen.

  

     There's no ticket machine here - remember that you'll have to pay after you eat, just like a regular restaurant. I was halfway out the door before I remembered...

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Atariya Homepage

ちゃぶ屋 とんこつらぁ麵 - Chabuton, Akihabara

とんこつラーメン - Tonkotsu Ramen, ￥680

    Some say that Akihabara is a must-visit part of Tokyo if you're visiting while others (including me obviously) would say that you must eat ramen while you're in town. So why not kill the proverbial two (three?!) birds with one stone and do it on the dining floor of one the largest electronics stores in the world, Yodabashi Akiba?

   As you're most likely aware, the big Tokyo department stores have restaurant floors occupying at least one of the upper levels and since Yodabashi resembles a department store in area, it stands to reason it will also have a few restaurants up on the 8th floor. Once you're there you can tell them how you really feel.

    The original Chabuton actually came into existence in the often forgotten (not by this blog) Arakawa ward, but has since moved on to bigger, but not necessarily better, things and can be found in electronics stores in Yokohama and Osaka. I guess most of them serve up something like this.

It's a pretty handy hakata style bowl of ramen with some pretty minimal, standard toppings and some sesame seeds floating around at the top. They don't seem to offer a great deal, aside from the odd one catching onto a noodle, since one doesn't normally chew on soup...

   Not that one needs to in order to finish a bowl of it...

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Chabuton Homepage

斑鳩 - Ikaruga, Kudanshita

特製ラーメン - Special Ramen, ￥880

    Ikaruga is yet another of the Tokyo Ramen Street restaurants but I decided to go to the original store to see where they their made their name. Here in central Tokyo on a Friday night I was expecting a bit of a crowd, but the only wait we had was from a couple of high school kids who seemed to lack sufficient dexterity in order to use the ticket machine. Eventually... we made it in inside.

    The blue glass was just one of the few choices available. Selection was a daunting task. It is quite a good representation of the restaurant which seems to be a little less rough than most ramen shops. We decided that Ikaruga may be 'posh' ramen. However, we were seated at the counter which gave a great view of the kitchen and things weren't looking so posh in there.

    Not one to judge a book by its cover, we would just have to see how it looked when it arrived.

   Pretty good, I must say.

    The most distinctive feature of this tonkotsu soup is it's milkiness although it does feel a little monotonous once you've made your way into it. The fact that it doesn't leave you feeling as though you've practically inhaled both your recommended daily allowance of fat and carbs is certainly a plus though. We were buoyant to go for a bit of a wander after we had finished, which, by the way, was a relatively simple task.

   Ikaruga, is the name of a bird, the Japanese Grosbeak. I just hope there wasn't one in the soup as it wouldn't be as posh as what I thought.

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Ikaruga Homepage (It's crap)

二代目つじ田 味噌の章 - Tsujita Miso no Shou, Kanda

 

玉子入り味噌らーめん - Miso Ramen with Egg, ￥900

     Just around the corner from the other Tsujita but without the same fanfare is Tsujita Miso no Shou. 4pm on a Sunday afternoon and it was straight in for us, while big brother had a queue about 10 deep. But this is a business area and I would imagine that it's much busier at 12:05 on a weekday. Lucky us! In fact, there were just as many customers as staff.

     This store specialises in miso ramen, and when I say specialises I sort of mean doesn't offer any other kind. Regular or spicy, with or without an egg. Pretty simple, really.

 

    I went for the regular miso... With an egg. 

   A deceptively large bowl with a heap of noodles hiding beneath the layer of toppings.

   It was actually quite different from other miso ramens I have had. The miso flavour wasn't so strong but it was quite heavy with an oily layer on top. The aonori  flakes had me reaching for more and the smaller-than-bite-size pieces of chashu made it much easier to ration. Of course it wouldn't be Tsujita without a secret blend of spices to add to the soup...

    I was quite surprised that weren't more people inside for such a high quality bowl of ramen. I would have liked to try the sudachi rice but the ramen was well and truly enough.

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Tsujita Homepage

麵処 ほん田 東京ラーメンストリート - Honda, Tokyo Ramen Street

味玉豚骨魚介つけ麺 （醤油）- Tonkotsu Gyokai Tsukemen (Shoyu), ￥850

     Another visit to Tokyo station and another visit to Tokyo Ramen Street. This time it was Honda which was fortunate enough to to be selected to join the underground showcase. I had hoped to visit the original store in Higashi Jujo, but it's popularity prevents it from staying open past 4PM since they run out of soup. The beauty of this store being connected to the station is you can pay with your all-purpose train charge card, Suica.

 

     Although the original store is obviously travelling along quite nicely, they are making a concerted effort to individualise this store so it can grow out of the shadow of it's big brother. The clean, brightly lit dining area, complete with a large glass case full of empty ramen bowls, certainly sets it apart from most ramen shops. 

 

     It was a tough decision with ordering so we left it to the janken gods to see who would get a tonkotsu gyokai with miso...

     Or shoyu....

     I can see why Honda is one of the more popular stores. The shoyu finished bowl was a solid choice - although it is pretty standard. (As far as tonkotsu gyokai tsukemen goes). The miso bowl was a little less standard. However, both are bursting with flavour and came with a superb hanjuku egg. I must admit that at ￥850 and ￥900 respectively, the bowls weren't really brimming with ramen deliciousness.

    It's amazing how recently, after hearing of this shop called Honda, the word 'Honda' no longer conjures up images of cars and motorcycles, but bowls of ramen. It's a little scary...

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Honda Homepage