ちょんまげ 九十九ラーメン - Chonmage Tsukumo, IIdabashi

元祖チーズラーメン - Cheese Ramen

    Here's another quick one I don't remember too much about, but the idea of a cheese and miso ramen is too good not to mention, no matter how many times you end up mentioning it. I actually spent a lot of time in Iidabashi in 2013 but didn't spend a lot of time seeking out the local ramen shops since I had an hour to spare from 12PM - Which is the exact time every single office worker is seemingly on their lunch break! I got here at 11:50 on this particular day.

   Every time I see it, my mouth waters. But for some reason it didn't do it for me like it did at the branch in Ebisu. Don't let this turn you off it. I'm sure if I was after another hefty helping of cheese I would indulge.

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俺の麺 春道 - Ore No Men Harumichi, Shinjuku

中華そば - Chuka Soba

    Another blast from the past. This one is from Shinjuku and perhaps one of the most unassuming places that I have visited. It looks from the outside a pretty old and run-down local restaurant but it is the domain of the ramen nerd. After squeezing past another customer to take my seat, I sat down to the joy of a conversation between other nerds talking about which shops they have visited recently. But it was actually a lot more fun to watch the chef go to work in the tiny kitchen that customers can peer right in to.

    A nice creamy, standard type of tonkotsu, but with a hint of something different... Maybe it was a shrimp-y type of flavour. In any case, it didn't prevent the demolition of the bowl...

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新宿煮干ラーメン凪 - Nagi, Shinjuku

煮干ラーメン - Niboshi Ramen, ￥750

   In an attempt to introduce you to more shops in a variety of areas and try and step away from lazily writing reviews of those closer to home, I ventured into the big smoke, Shinjuku. To be more specific, I went to Kabukicho and to be even more specific, the Golden Gai - a unique area comprised of a few narrow lines littered with tiny bars. It tends to be more alive in the evening which is reflected by the fact that Nagi is open until 5am.

    Nagi is on the second floor, however there is only the one person working so be sure to buy your ticket and hand it to him before you join the queue. Since you'll be waiting outside and he'll be stuck preparing ramen for other hungry customers, the only way to know when to come back in is when he calls you from the window. Once inside you'll be rubbing shoulders with those next to you.

   And the chef doesn't have much space either...

     The specialty here is niboshi ramen, a shoyu based soup that it is completed with stock of dried baby sardines. 

    The combination of the shoyu and niboshi makes for a flavourful soup with a strong aftertaste and the only way to serve this style of ramen is piping hot... It was blisteringly so... I was glad I waited until the weather had cooled slightly before coming here. Although it wouldn't have made much difference.

Nagi is definitely worth a try if you're willing to brave the elements of the Golden Gai...

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Nagi Homepage

麺処くるり - Kururi, Ichigaya

味噌玉子ラーメン - Miso Ramen with Egg ￥800

   Kururi is the highest rated ramen shop in Shinjuku ward although it isn't very close to Shinjuku itself and offers a very popular miso ramen that makes sure the 8 seats in the restaurant are always warm during business hours. The owners must have a pretty high opinion of the store, located just across from the outer moat of the Imperial Palace, as they don't feel it necessary to even have a sign on the door and there is just 2 plain black planks of wood above. This may add to the popularity and mystique of the store and it seems most people don't have any problems finding the store as there is often a line. Unfortunately, once you reach the pointy end of the line you have wait inside, crowding those who are trying to enjoy their ramen. I certainly felt as though I was hurrying them along. 

 
   This was the last interior photo I took as they have a no photograph policy, but here it is anyway. A little cramped and, on a Sunday evening no less, we were the oldest people inside. The university students certainly didn't feel as though we were pressuring them to eat quickly as they happily chatted away. With only two staff working to make sure your bowl is prepared once you sit down there is no other way to organise the line. I did eventually sit down though....

    The miso broth wasn't quite what I was expecting and didn't have a really strong miso flavour. In order to lessen the miso flavour the soup is stewed for a while with some other secret ingredients and then heated up along with some negi and moyashi and finally topped off with a sprinkling of chili sauce. The chashu and egg were just average - The egg probably a little overcooked however once they are out of the way, you can concentrate on the thick, robust soup.

   Easy! Nevertheless, I did feel a little pressure as I felt the line inside was creating a little pressure for me. Those chatty university students were getting a little loud too.

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Kururi Website