I enjoy trying different types of ramen when travelling around Japan. As with many other food, Tokyo is a ramen hub, gathering famous ramen from different prefectures. Also, there is a good mix of those with long history and new innovative ones ready to set the latest trend.
The ramen scene is constantly evolving and there are simply too many excellent ramen to choose from. Here I will only focus on conveniently located ramen joints near stations along the JR Yamanote Line, the railway loop line connecting most major stations in Tokyo.
1. Rokurinsha（六厘舎）, Tokyo station（東京駅）
Rokurinsha is the long-queue ramen joint at Tokyo Ramen Street in the underground mall of Tokyo station. It offers the perfect version of the most typical type of tsukemen (dipping noodle)- gyokai tonkotsu（魚介豚骨, seafood and pork bones）.
I have dined there a few times over the past few years, and quality has been consistent so far. Noodles are always hard and chewy, dipping soup is always hot, rich and savoury with a good balance of gyokai and tonkotsu. After finishing the noodles, wari-soup with yuzu taste is provided upon request to dilute the broth for drinking.
Rokurinsha has other outlets, however the quality may not be consistent. I tried the one at Haneda Airport once and found it quite disappointing.
2. Yakiago Shio Ramen Takahashi（焼きあご塩らー麺たかはし）, Shinjuku station（新宿駅）
Shinjuku is known as one of the battlefields for ramen. There are numerous good ramen, especially in the Kabukicho area, from famous chain ones (Ichiran, Nagi, Tenkaippin, etc.) to new innovative ones. One popular ramen joint is Yakiago Shio Ramen Takahashi (main outlet), which has a perpetual queue at anytime of the day, partly because of the limited seats.
The soup of its signature Yakiago Shio Ramen, made using grilled flying fish, other seafood and pork bones, is light yet robust with smoky flavor. After finishing the noodles, it is recommended to add rice to the remaining soup to enjoy the food in a ochazuke (tea over rice) way.
Yakiago Shio Ramen Takahashi has other outlets in Tokyo, and has expanded overseas (Xiamen) this year.
3. Ichiran（一蘭）, Ueno station（上野駅）
Probably no tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen lovers have not heard of this famous ramen chain from Fukuoka. Some people may find it too touristy (long queue), or that the portion is too little (expensive), but the high quality of the soup and noodles cannot be denied.
Noodles are thin and chewy, soup is rich yet not smelly. Personally think the highlight is the "secret" spicy red sauce. It complements the tonkotsu broth extremely well and is unlike commonly used spicy oil. Other things I like about this ramen chain include the customization (personally agree with what is recommended), the consistency among outlets and the elimination of human interaction (just focus on the food!).
Ichiran has many outlets (some operating 24 hours) all over Japan and has currently expanded overseas to Hong Kong, Taiwan and New York. I tried it in Taiwan once and the taste was exactly the same. Recommend to have it for breakfast for those who want to avoid long queues. You have the whole day to burn the calories later too!
4. Vegepota Tsukemen Enji（べジポタつけ麺えん寺）, Ikebukuro station（池袋駅）
Ikebukuro is another ramen battlefield. The one I will recommend here is Tsukemen Enji, 4 minutes walking distance from Ikebukuro station's north exit, though the one I have tried is the main outlet outside Kichijoji station. (Ratings on Tabelog are currently about the same for both outlets.)
Tsukemen Enji's dipping soup is a blend of 10 vegetables, pork bones and seafood, topped with some vegetables and yuzu, hence popular among females and those who are health conscious. The taste and texture of the dipping soup was perfect for me. There are also a few types of noodles (udon-like or soba-like) to choose from.
5. Nakiryu（鳴龍）, Otsuka station（大塚駅）
This second Michelin starred ramen joint is 6 minutes walk from Otsuka station. I have not queued for it yet, but was already impressed by the standard of the cup noodles version of its signature tantanmen selling at 7-11 stores. Tantanmen（担々麺）is the Japanese version of Sichuan Dan Dan noodles.
The soup is rich, flavorful and not overly spicy. Although sinful, I could not resist finishing up all the soup. Even for those who do not usually appreciate tantanmen, do give it a try, you may be pleasantly surprised like me.
Shinagawa station（品川駅）also has a Shinatatsu Shinagawa（品達品川）Ramen Street 200 m from the Takanawa Exit, with around 10 ramen joints catering to all types of preferences.
0 comments:
Post a Comment