柴田商店 (Shibata Shouten Hiyoshi)

I have been feeling under the weather and a great way to thwart the evils of congestion is to eat some spicy ramen. I really really wanted tantanmen, however, I didn't want to go far so I stayed in Hiyoshi and found Shibata Shouten.

After a peek inside from the window I determined that there was enough hot chili oil and pepper to loosen up my uhm...passage ways. Shibata Shouten is a fairly new shop to Hiyoshi (as of March 2015) and it lasted longer than another chain shop that also opened in Hiyoshi this year. It can be hard to compete with Musashiya and Tsukemen Abisuke. Shibata Shouten is doing quite well from the looks of it, being super crowded around its small bar at the dinner hour. I managed to snag a nice shot of the interior after everyone cleared out though. I chose the miso ramen and as always an egg. The bowl came topped with raw onion, woodear mushrooms, nori and chashu.

The noodles themselves were the thinner style I associate with regular (not Yokohama style) tonkotsu. Raw onion is an interesting touch because I am used to seeing negi, and it added a nice bite to the bowl. As you can see the egg is ever so slightly undercooked, not the perfect jelled yolk that it should be. There were a full range of condiments and I was able to adjust the spice level accordingly. Before adjusting the heat I tried the base, the real highlight at Shibata Shouten. Very smooth, subtle, and savory. Though the chashu had a nice smokey flavor, I found it to be a little overcooked. Undercooked egg and overcooked pork give Shibata Shouten a solid 4.

Map and a link to their tabelog.

節骨麺たいぞう 池袋東口店 (Bushikotsumen Taizo Ikebukuro)

Ikebukuro is a strange, but interesting place within the metropolitan Tokyo area. It has been hailed as the female otaku alternative to Akihabara because there are several shops that specialize in Yaoi manga. If you are unfamiliar, click the link. I like Ikebukuro for its strange charms and the lesser visited "other side of the tracks" west exit. Usually I try to avoid chains, but Bushikotsumen Taizo is a relatively small one, with only 3 shops, one of them being near the west exit.

Japanese ramen bloggers also seem to really enjoy this shop. Right away I enjoyed the busy and excited atmosphere. The shop staff at Taizo is super genki. I went with a friend so I could have a chance to do a double review. He chose the pork and chicken base and I chose the seafood because I can't seem to get enough of that deep salty fish flavor.

The noodles and toppings are basically the same for both bowls: negi, chashu, nori, bamboo shoots, and egg. Standard and classic. However the pork/chicken bowl had minced garlic and a complex meaty flavor. The seafood bowl was an excellent strong bonito. True standouts here for me are their noodles and chashu.

The noodles come from Hokkaido and are a perfect texture between soft and firm. I can not stress how much I liked Taizo's noodles. Some of the best to date! Their fatty chashu basically melts in your mouth and made me wish that I had selected the chashu ramen. How about condiments? I am happy to report that Taizo fresh garlic that you can press yourself, hot sesame oil, pepper, and condiments for the gyoza that you can order. The gyoza was fairly standard and I recommend going for their ramen alone. I can't seem to find anything bad about Taizo so it's going to get a 5/5 for a genki staff and delicious chashu.

Map and links: official site, tabelog

みそや林檎堂/アップルベーシック (Misoya Ringo/Apple Basic Higashi Nakano)

So nice they had to name it twice? Let's find out! Misoya Ringo or Apple Basic in Higashi Nakano offers up a miso ramen with style. This is another shop that I found to be on the boutique end of the ramen shop spectrum. It presents a cozy atmosphere with magazines and stylish, but basic bar seating:

The staff there was also really friendly and asked me about why I was taking pictures. Of course I had to admit that eating ramen is a hobby, but I suppose I am still a little too shy to mention that I also write about it. Higashi Nakano is not such a busy or famous neighborhood, but Apple Basic just may be worth the trip. This shop has seen 2 overhauls, and I think the 3rd time is the charm.

I ordered miso ramen with an egg. This shop did not skimp on detail or noodles. I really appreciated the presentation, noodles buried under toppings of egg, chashu, thinly sliced negi, mizuna, bean sprouts, and ground pork.

The egg was also a lovely deep red orange color, and I haven't seen one quite like it.

Apple Basic's noodles are on the slightly thick and soft side, which I think went well with the miso base because they held it quite well. After all, part of the reason for choosing noodles is to best capture the base of your ramen. Some shops do this more successfully than others and Apple Basic is one of them. The base itself had a nice light miso flavor and mixed really well with the toppings. Their chashu, which they also sell separately, is soft, juicy, but not served warm. Same goes for the egg. Not my preference, but the cook on both is sublime. Condiments were slightly lacking, there was hot oil and pepper, but this might be another bowl that is quite perfect on its very own merits. 4.5/5 for Apple Basic, and worth the trip if it's a cold winter day!

Tabelog page and a Map: