桃天花 - Toutenka, Mikawashima

坦々つけ麺, Tantan Tsukemen ￥750

    Having lived in the area for about 9 months I felt it was time have a look around the local area and perhaps scout for a regular place to eat when I get the urge for ramen at home. Until now I have been going to Ichiran in Ueno since it's only a short trip away, or just eating whenever I'm out and about. However, it is always nice to become a regular at a local, friendly establishment - especially if you can bring other foreign friends and give them some business.

    According to the maps, Toutenka was one of the closest so that is where we decided to go. It is quite close to Mikawashima station, but in an area that probably doesn't get any foot traffic beyond the local residents, which could explain the lack of many customers (that could also be explained by us entering about 15 minutes before closing time. Sorry!).  The exterior, from the 'Open' sign to the faded red banner above the door,  makes Toutenka look like an average ramen store owned by an old couple that only gets by on it's loyal locals. The interior also seems a little old (rather like most of the restaurants in the older shitamachi part of Tokyo). The bookshelf full of manga in the corner completes the picture.

    However it is the ramen that brings the people in. I ordered the tan tan tsukemen and I was not at all disappointed (well, perhaps a little since it only came with half an egg). The tan tan soup, despite looking like as though you will need to keep your glass of water nearby is mild and offers just the right amount of spice, while the meat is not very greasy and rather lean for the health-conscious.

    There weren't a great deal of vegetables in the soup but the spinach was a nice touch. The chef's recommendation is that you finish your soup with some rice but since we arrived late that wasn't an option available to us.... Next time. Maybe with the curry tsukemen.

    I left feeling content (in my belly, and) that my first attempt to find a local shop was successful, and I truly felt for the disappointed couple who walked down the dark street up to Toutenka at about 5 past 9 because they really missed out.

カレー坦々麺, Curry Tantanmen ￥750

     As I said, Toutenka has taken the title as my local ramen shop so it would only seem natural that I would try lots of different things on the menu. So, curry ramen it is...

    It was actually a mistake ordering the ramen and not the tsukemen but that didn't really matter and was a good mistake to make. It is actually a real curry rather than just curry powder added to it and you can taste the difference. It is great and was the first time I had had potato in my ramen which was interesting, but their tan tan tsukemen is the business here. 

    Actually, the only we mistake we made was getting the extra rice to finish off our soup. It was way too much. But I did my best...

     I know this place is a little off the beaten path, and it could be a little bias since it's only 5 minutes away, but Toutenka is well worth a visit...

Ramen Database

Google Maps

やすべえ - Yasubee, Nerima

 

つけ麺, Tsukemen ￥720

    I didn't really know about Yasubee until I actually went there but according to their website they have a handful of shops around Tokyo so, as I was joining a friend for lunch who also has a penchant for tsukemen there, I made my way out to Nerima which must have one the higher ramen shop per-person ratios in Tokyo.

 

    Quite spacious inside, Yasubee didn't have too many customers around lunchtime which added to the scarcity, and we were joined by one of the rarest sights of all in a ramen shop.... A child... Perhaps children are the target audience since this is all we were given to sit on.

 

     Not a complaint, just an observation....

 

As for the ramen, it was pretty good. I've found that tsukemen places don't seem to offer up the low quality ramen that attracts those who might be missing a few teeth and we tend to pay a little more for it too... The assymetrical plate was pretty cool.

    I opted for the regular tonkotsu shouyu tsukemen, while my companion got the same with some extra chashu...

   

   The noodles were quite firm and the meat was delicious (It was nice to have enough that was safely covered by the soup), however the soup was probably a little too sweet to finish.

Ramen Database

Google Maps (Nerima Store)

Yasubee Homepage

すがもラーメン - Sugamo Ramen

 

とん塩ラーメン - Ton Shio Ramen ￥700

    I spent a good 15 months living in Sugamo so I would say I know the area reasonably well, but that didn't really stop me from frequenting the ramen shop that was closest to the station which is clearly not a seedy part of town at all.

                           

      Sugamo Ramen is a little unique among ramen stores in that it is definitely in the 21st century and follows the eco-friendly trend that has been popular in recent years. The ticket machine dispenses reusable plastic tickets rather than anitquated paper ones which you then place in a small plastic container on the counter (unfortunately, the staff usually ask for mine before I have a chance to follow this procedure...) Actually, now that I think of it, I see no reason why paper tickets can't also be re-used. And much like the subway system, everything is conveniently colour-coded.

    Surprisingly for this area of town I didn't see any old ladies (Sugamo is known as "おばあちゃんの原宿" or "Harajuku for old Ladies") inside, but just a couple of younger ones who were chatting away in much the same vein, but they seemed harmless enough. I was more worried about my ramen since I was lucky enough to be seated at the dreaded number 13!

    I opted for the tonkotsu shio ramen which was not the bowl that I tended to get when I was a regular customer but I though it sounded pretty tasty anyway. In retrospect, the tonkotsu shouyu is much better, but this wasn't the first time I had made the same mistake.

   Sugamo Ramen does seem to have a lot going for it. It's close to the station, it has a cool ticket machine, an easy name to remember and amazing looking ramen, but it's good, not great. 

   I asked for just the regular amount of fat (油) but, by looking at the bowl, I was sure they'd given me a really fatty bowl. In the end I just couldn't finish the soup. Maybe next time. 

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Sugamo Ramen Homepage

九州じゃんがら - Kyushu Jangara, Ginza

 

ぼんしゃん （豚骨ラーメン）, Bonshan (Tonkotsu Ramen) ￥700

    Strangely,  ramen shops in Japan generally haven't used the marketing technique which is so popular in Japan - that of using a mascot to promote your product. Generally the rustic environment is the preferred setting. However, Jangara ramen is one such place where the tried and true method of having a cute little animal or character represent your store is in full swing... And we're all the better for it. 

    There are a few Jangara stores in Tokyo, and they seem to be around most of the major hubs (Harajuku, Ginza, Akihabara, etc) so they are pretty easy to find. The interior somewhat matches the vibe from the outside with lots of bright colours being used and it could be mistaken for a family restaurant except for the fact that people are more often than not eating alone even though they are sharing a table with strangers. (I was lucky enough to have 3 strangers join me on my table of 4!) This also made life a little difficult when trying to stealth a few photographs.

    I went to the Ginza store which seems to be the least popular of the ones I'm aware of and turnover was quite high as people were, more or less,  in-and-out in less than 15 minutes. One reason for this is that the time spent waiting for your ramen is quite short (just 2 or 3 minutes) and the bowls are actually quite small. Most of us in the store looked a little like this guy once we had started our ramen.

     The Kyushu Jangara bowl is the most popular, but I opted for the #2 Bonshan, which is a little less oily and greasy,  although they are both variations of tonkotsu ramen. I must admit that the Bonshan is pretty solid, but for some reason it reminds a little of "Chicken Noodle Soup"- an instant soup back home in Australia.  I enjoyed the soup a lot more once I had helped myself to some of the crushed garlic on the table.

    Jangara seems to be a pretty popular store amongst Japanese and foreigners alike (Liam Gallagher supposedly dines at the Harajuku branch- Keep an eye out when Beady Eye tour in May) and definitely delivers with a unique atmosphere and a unique taste.

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Jyangara Homepage

めん徳二代目つじ田 - Tsujita, Kanda

 

豚骨魚介つけ麺, Tonkotsu Gyokai Tsukemen ￥980

   The scene on a Friday night at Tsujita, with a row of eager customers with their backs turned to the audience waiting to get inside,  could easily be the opening scene of a musical with the flashy golden lettering the perfect backdrop for a stage production. The only difference being that the people are hungry and have already been waiting about 20 or 30 minutes to get inside so probably aren't so keen to break into song. Especially since there is another ramen shop about 30 metres away into which they could have walked in and sat down right away.

   It's a little weird inside, as it seems to be a combination of old and new - It has the rustic vibe we've all come to expect, but it also has stylish light fittings and the aforementioned gaudy signboard. Maybe it was this combination of old and new, but there were a lot more women inside than most ramen stores I visit. And of course the ramen nerds - One of whom managed to come in after us, order more and leave about 5 minutes earlier! Way to go!

     As always though, we had come for the ramen. Tsujita's signature dish is a tonkotsu gyokai tsukemen that is served with a sudachi, a lime-like fruit which we are supposed to squeeze onto our noodles somewhere between trying them as they are,  and with the secret blend of spices spread over the top. Well, according to this sign, I think....

 

     It was pretty amazing. Once I put the lime in I was rewarded with a really fresh,  sweet tasting noodle (Not to mention the noodles themselves which were cooked perfectly). The spices were OK too, but not in the same league as the sudachi.

    I would definitely recommend squeezing as early as possible. And then once you've finished your noodles get your soup watered down so you can finish it off a lot easier.

   If waiting outside in the cold (or heat) doesn't bother you,  then I would definitely recommend checking this place out!

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Tsujita Homepage

兎に角 - Tonikaku, Matsudo

豚骨魚介ラーメン, Tonkotsu Gyokai Ramen, ￥700

   After speaking to a friend who works in Matsudo about the quality of the ramen stores, I could only take her advice and try out Tonikaku. She mentioned that it often has a line, however I was lucky enough to be able to walk straight inside.

     Once inside though,  I realised that I was in for quite the bowl of ramen as I was greeted by a room full of silent adult men, none of whom seemed to know each other beyond the college kids in the corner. This meant it was ramen otaku territory.

     Although it resembles a swedish sauna from the outside, Tonikaku is another store that has just the bare essentials inside.

     There's seating for about 20 and the turnover seemed quite high in spite of, or perhaps because of, the cold rainy weather outside. (there isn't much better than a hot bowl of ramen on a freezing night.)

    The meat was delicious - lightly peppered and was so big and flat you could land a plane on it. Actually, it kind of resembeld an air craft carrier floating in the ocean only that the soup was so thick that not much could pass through it.

    One of the other customers did something I had never seen before and requested more soup to which the staff responded quickly - maybe this is one of the quirks of the store?  I don't think my arteries would have been too pleased with me had I tried the same thing though. However, I did manage to happily finish my bowl. It was a tonkotsu gyokai broth, or a pork and fish combination. Delicious!

    I left with a sense of accomplishment and would happily go to Tonikaku again whenever I'm in the area.

Ramen Database

Google Maps

九十九ラーメン - Tsukumo Ramen, Ebisu

 

味噌ラーメン, Miso Ramen ￥900

    After a day at the photography museum in Ebisu, ramen was definitely on the agenda. Especially since this particular day was a snowy, sleety one. When I think of snow in Japan, Hokkaido immediately springs to mind. That meant today would be miso ramen which is native to Sapporo.
    The beauty of ramen is that it can be many things. The bowl is basically like an empty canvas and the chef can fill it with whatever (invariably a) he chooses... This chef chose to fill his bowls with miso and... corn and cheese! and I was happy to oblige, others seemingly were too, despite the noise coming from the cheese grater which grates the cheese just as your bowl is about to be served!

   The lantern on the right hand side of the store advertises 'Ultimate Tonkotsu Ramen',  however the cheese dish appears to be the most popular.... It is accompanied by a #1 on the menu and is a little pricier. Their website says the cheese bowls are limited to about 300 per day, but that it shouldn't be a problem.

    The small window to the left, meanwhile, has some cute little ceramic pigs on display which would have made choosing the tonkotsu seem a little sadistic.

    Tsukumo seems to be quite popular amongst the exapts in Ebisu. By my count there were about 5 foreigners inside (not including the family of 4), however the noodles themselves are pretty standard and the novelty of the cheese and corn is what really makes the bowl...

    This sounds a little harsh though as it was delicious and really hearty, as all good soups should be and the cheese gave it a little creaminess and a some bite. It's not your average bowl of ramen but it is not disappointing and the different ingredients are fun too.

     Another point of difference is the spoons on offer. Though not completely uncommon the ladle-like spoons keep you on your toes and make you adjust technique ever so slightly.

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Tsukumo Homepage