Chocolate Buddha, Melbourne

Tori Miso Ramen, $13.90

    A short trip back home to Melbourne, but long enough to have some ramen withdrawals. This meant I would have to be on the lookout for a ramen shop. Luckily enough, one popped right up in front of me as we were wandering through Federation Square right in the centre of town along the banks of the Yarra. We chose counter seats so we could get a nice view out the window.

      The restaurant itself was certainly different form anything I've encountered in Tokyo with a much more aesthetically pleasing dining area with many ornamental pieces scattered around. It certainly didn't strike me as an ordinary ramen shop which, to be fair, it isn't. It offers a great deal of Japanese food from udon to curry to sushi. So the atmosphere is much more about dining out rather than a quick slurp during your lunch break.

     We both decided that we would go with the tori miso ramen as it sounded quite interesting with the addition of carrot, red onions and bok choy to more traditional ingredients creating a mystery - 'How is this going to taste?'

     It certainly was different to what I've become accustomed to. The red onions gave it a sweeter taste than what I was expecting but it actually felt like a healthy kind of ramen (if there is such a thing). The soup was perfect for a winter day in Melbourne, but probably a little weak. On a couple of a occasions I came across a clump of miso that hadn't completely dissolved which seemed a little old - Perhaps the soup is made to order?
No matter...

     As I've said before, the beauty of ramen is that you can essentially put into it whatever you like and if you chose to call it ramen, it's ramen. Apparently Chocolate Buddha here follow the same philosophy. It was a great lunch and quite good, but very different to what I call ramen.

Google Maps

Chocolate Buddha Homepage

もちもちの木 - Mochi Mochi no Ki, Shiraoka

醤油中華そば（中）- Shoyu Ramen (Medium) ￥770

     As you can see, Mochi Mochi no Ki isn't in Tokyo. The instructions from the car were to look out the right-hand side window until we spotted it, which turned out to be a rather difficult task as the store is pretty inconspicuous with just a small sign barely visible from the street. 

    Despite this, and the fact that we were what looks like a 20 minute walk from the train station, yes,  there was a line. About 8 people outside but the real surprise was the small waiting room just inside the door for about 10 people. Just like a theme park when you think you're almost at the front only to turn a corner and realise that there's another 40 or so people in front of you.

    After about 20 minutes or so we eventually managed to take a seat (not literally a seat) inside the dimly lit, cavernous restaurant. Right next to a folding screen that had been tacked on to the wall.

    After much deliberation I had decided to go with the medium sized bowl since I was feeling pretty hungry. I was surprised by what came though and can't imagine what the large bowl looks like. The solitary chashu looked so lonely floating around the middle of the bowl.

    I should have realised what I was getting myself into as the menu clearly stated the sizes are 140g, 280g and 420g, but it wasn't just the volume of the noodles that made it difficult. There is clearly a lot of water in this shoyu/gyokai soup that comes to you at a hotter than usual temperature. This is one of the points that distinguishes Mochi Mochi no Ki from other ramen shops. Another thing I noticed was that the menma seemed a little more wild than usual and isn't chopped into standard-sized pieces. 

    Unfortunately...

    However...

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Mochi Mochi no Ki Homepage

燦燦斗 - Sansanto, Higashi Jujo

豚骨魚介ラーメン玉子入り - Tonkotsu Gyokai Ramen with Egg, ￥750

     It's a little hard to believe when leaving Higashi Jujo station that you are in 21st Century Tokyo,  a city on the cutting edge of modern technology. Here it feels that you have stepped back into the Showa era with lots of little standing yakitori places and extremely narrow streets. It's just as hard to believe that 2 of the current 5 most popular ramen shops in Japan can be found in this often forgotten part of town.

    Despite this popularity our visit was a quick one and there was only one other customer inside the tiny store that has had to sacrifice some space for the massive noodle making machine, although by the time we left there were a few people outside. The store suits the area perfectly and doesn't appear to be a must-visit ramen store. This contrast is even more explicit since it specialises in the ultra-modern abura soba and tonkotsu gyokai varieties.

   I was keen to get the abura soba when I arrived but I eventually played it safe and went for the ramen. This time playing it safe meant not trying what is currently the number one abura soba in Japan. What can I say, I like soup...

    And it was a good choice. A lighter than normal tonkotsu gyokai soup where the fish flavour is taking on a much larger proportion of the soup. Could it be gyokai tonkotsu? In any case it was quite refreshing and not at all heavy and the hanjuku egg was up there with the best. I definitely could have used more chashu, however.

   While my girlfriend took a punt on the tsukemen.

    If you are a little unsure of which to choose, I would suggest to go with the ramen. The soups are basically the same although the tsukemen seemed just a little stronger however, as far as tonkotsu gyokai is concerned, a little thin. This is much more conducive to a bowl of ramen when the noodles have time to soak up a little of the flavour.

   After practically inhaling the soup, I got a glimpse of a slightly odd bowl design. I would have preferred the one with a dragon. Maybe next time.

   If the lines are always this small I would definitely come back. It's not often you get the chance to eat amzing ramen in Tokyo without a 10-15 minute wait.

Ramen Database

Google Maps

麺や葵 - Aoi, Nippori

豚骨魚介つけ麺玉子入り - Tonkotsu Gyokai Tsukemen with Egg, ￥880

    Continuing the search around my local neighbourhood I stumbled upon Aoi, which is about a 10 minute walk from home. Aoi actually has two locations in Nippori - One is about 30 seconds from Nippori Station and this, the honten, about 15 minutes. In an attempt to bring you the authentic (and possibly better) Aoi taste I went for the longer walk.
   Aoi doesn't seem to be catering to a crowd who like a pleasant atmosphere when they are having lunch. The dining area is full of fridges and pipes.



    However, they did have a few buttons marked osusume on the ticket machine which recommended about 3 different  choices. I went for the tonkotsu gyokai tsukemen... Again. I took my seat and waited uncomfortably wondering what I should do with these eggs. Are they there for customers?

    After a pretty decent wait my tsukemen finally arrived and I suddenly forgot that I had been waiting.

   With a little gyokai powder sprinked on top.



     The noodles were really think and katame, a little hard at first but I quickly got used to them. This kind of thick, heavy noodle is great for tsukemen as everything sticks to it. In fact I was a little worried my soup would run out before I finished the noodles. The soup itself was full of favour without being too busy, but it is definitely in need of some soup wari, broth to even out the consistency if you want to finish it completely.



    Once again I'm feeling pretty happy to have found a quality bowl close to home. Although the heavy, greasy soup did take a little spring out of my step.

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Aoi Homepage

むつみ屋 - Mutsumiya, Tokyo Ramen Street

赤味噌らーめん+玉子 - Red Miso Ramen + Egg, ￥950

    Tokyo Ramen Street at Tokyo Station is a pretty good place to start if you're introducing yourself to the world of Ramen - There are eight stores in total and there seems to be a good variety of soups and styles to cater to anybody, no matter what you prefer. Me? Well, I prefer not waiting in a queue too long when I have the option of doing so. Especially when I'm hungry. Mutsumiya seemed to have the shortest wait. Considering it was a national holiday, five minutes wasn't so bad. And then I got to play with some individually wrapped crushed garlic.

    The turnover at these places must be pretty insane - open for 12 hours a day, at least 20 seats inside and always a queue. Mutsumiya also recently opened a store in Thailand. Which must keep Mr. Mutsumiya very busy.

    Mutsumiya is from Hokkaido and specialises in the local miso ramen. Despite operating in Tokyo the soup is still made from Hokkaido water. Obviously I couldn't taste the difference... Because I, ah, didn't, um, have a bowl with non-Hokkaido water to compare it to.

   I was glad I got the egg to go with it.

   It certainly doesn't pull any punches and there are no surprises. It's miso ramen from Hokkaido without any Tokyo twist added to it. Very solid. If you're feeling in need of a little more adventure you can try the kim-chi miso ramen. I was pretty happy with the soup and the chashu had a nice smoky flavour. And, well, you can see the egg.

    Finishing the soup off was great but it also revealed a pretty weathered bowl. Now, we all know someone has eaten from a bowl before us, but this one and all of the others in the store could do with a bit of a touch up. What is the average lifespan of a dish anyway?

Ramen Database

Google Maps

屯ちん - Tonchin, Ikebukuro

東京豚骨ラーメン - Tokyo Tonkotsu Ramen, ￥650

    Part of living and travelling in Japan is eating the local food that originated in that area when you're passing through. A trip to Osaka can't be made without sampling either okonomiyaki or takoyaki, or both. Therefore a ramen nerd making their way to Tokyo must indulge in a bowl of Tokyo style ramen. And a perfect place to try it is at Tonchin in Ikebukuro which prides itself on this with 'Tokyo Tonkotu Ramen' adorning just about everything - including the lightbulbs!

   There are a few of these around Tokyo (naturally) and if you want to continue with the authentic experience this store in Ikebukuro is the the honten, the original store. Even though I'm sure this lad isn't the creator, the hontens are usually much more popular than others bearing the same name.

    Arriving slightly before midday to avoid the lunchtime rush everything was ready to go.

     And the lunchtime crowd started to wander in just as my bowl arrived.

   Defining Tokyo ramen is quite a difficult proposition as there are so many different varieties that have been available in Tokyo for such a long time. However, I'm led to believe the most common feature is curly noodles. Tonchin has these ( 3 different amounts all for the same price) and your regular ramen ingredients. The soup here is also a very rich flavour with a fair amount of floating abura that will have slurping until you empty the bowl.

Ramen Database

Google Maps

Tonchin Homepage

麺や武蔵武骨 - Musashi Bukotsu, Ueno

黒武骨 - Black Bukotsu Ramen (Tonkotsu Shoyu) ￥750

    Despite being one of the major hubs of Tokyo, Ueno isn't known much for it's ramen however there are a few ramen shops that seem quite popular around the Ameyoko market area. You'll find this member of the Menya Musashi family if you see the ropes set aside to organise the line. Luckily, we can wait in air-conditioned bliss inside once we've bought our tickets, lingering over those unlucky enough to be seated near the ticket machine.

    The staff were kept pretty busy by the constant flow of salarymen looking for their Friday night fix and the tsukemen seemed to be the most popular choice with the mercury hovering around 30 degrees celsius.

     With summer slowly creeping up I decided to buck the trend and ordered the black ramen, treating each passing bowl as it could be my last for the summer... (This doesn't include tsukemen.) Also, I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a bowl of ramen infused with squid ink.

    The colour is mainly aesthetic and novelty as we get a nice, creamy bowl of tonkotsu shoyu with a healthy serving of menma and spring onions. The pork is sliced thick like the bread in a Japanese supermarket and quite tender.

    Despite the heat it was an easy bowl to finish. I was also impressed by the fact there's a design on the spoon. Apparently they're working on an idea to get one on the chopsticks too.

Ramen Database (Look here for some of their ramen with chocolate photos)

Google Maps

Musashi Bukotsu Homepage