太陽のトマト麺Next サンシャインシティ (Taiyo Tomatomen Sunshine City)

Along with Japan's myriad of ramen shops are its malls. Yes, I said malls. It seems as if every station of substance has a mall attached to it or near it and the larger the station the more malls it has to offer. Ikebukuro is no exception. Many people say that Ikebukuro is kind of like an undervitsited area of Tokyo, but it is also known as female otaku hotspot, and hosts one of my all-time favorite malls, Sunshine City, which houses two sections of mazelike shopping adventures. Recently a friend of mine wanted to check out Taiyo Tomatomen in Sunshine City. Tomato...men? I had no idea what that meant because most traditional ramen is made with meat stock. My curiosity piqued, I went with my friend to Taiyo Tomatomen before shopping at some of my favorite places in Sunshine city. Taiyo Tomatomen is a boutique ramen chain. There aren't many if any salarymen hunched over on stools to slurp ramen here:

Despite the decoration cans of tomatoes and wine bottles in a wooden crate, the prices remained standard. With a set you can choose one out of six kinds of ramen (one of them being pesto), and if you so desire you may also add gyoza and rice. I decided on the cheese tomatomen with a full set of gyoza and rice. We ordered from the laminated menu outside of a fairly busy lunch rush. Once seated in a comfortable diner like booth I noticed that this was indeed, no ordinary ramen shop. There were families and teenage girls along with people on dates. Boutique for sure! The perks of such a place are excellent customer service, and a whole pitcher of delicious jasmine tea.



I think part of the appeal of this kind of shop is also that the stock and ingredients are considered healthier. The stock is a tomato and chicken stock, and it is also served with chicken instead of pork. I think the clientele also reflect Sunshine City's normal patrons.

We didn't have to wait long for our ramen to be served and I was excited to have a new flavor of ramen:

The closest thing I can compare this to is chicken cacciatore with wavy capellini noodles (if there are such a thing). That's not bad, but the flavor profile screams Italian. The cheese also melted really quickly, so it wasn't easy to evenly distribute it. I kind of wished there had been some oregano and red pepper flakes on the table. Overall I think that this was very tasty, but very strange. I am still not sure what to make of it. Taiyo Tomatomen is really good for a date before or after shopping at Sunshine City, but it might make you crave Italian food! Overall a 3.5/5 because of my confused taste buds and the sticky cheese.

This is a chain and all of their shops can be found on their official site! Here's the map!!

俺流塩らーめん (Oreryushio Shibuya) AKA Drunk Ramen is Drunk Ramen

I have run out of a backlog!! But never fear, I still have a ramen report. However, the accuracy of said report should be taken with a grain of salt because my friends and I stumbled in while we were drunk last saturday at about 3 am. But this is one of the greatest treasures of Tokyo night life. When you are unable to take a train until nearly 5am to go home, you have the option to drunk walk into a ramen shop and eat a delicious treat. I think ramen is often best when already drunk, and though I had imbibed many a schochu I was able to take pictures and recall the ramen we ate at 俺流塩らーめん(Oreryushio Ramen). After doing some digging and asking a very helpful friend, I discovered (a) the name of the mysterious shop that I didn't remember because I was drunk and (b) that it is quite a famous shio (salt) ramen franchise. There were a plethora of menu options, but we all went with "New Taste Jukusei Ramen":

 It was hard to tell what that meant from the picture and the words that we could barely read but it looked fantastic. We hurdled ourselves into the shop with drunk appetites and took our seats at a booth. While we waited we inspected the condiments. We were being very loud and calling things ectoplasm and ghost beard, or was it dead man's beard (idek!). I am surprised they didn't kick us out!

Because of our tomfoolery and drunken state the condiments will remain unidentified until I return. Our ramen arrived and it looked excellent. To remain with our supernatural theme the shio broth was white as a ghost and we added ectoplasm and ghost beard heartily.

We hastily finished the ghost ramen and sat satisfied afterwards. What I noticed right away was the base, which had a kind of light creamy flavor. The egg wasn't anything special and though I can't be sure if it was because of the time of night, it was served pretty cold. My preference is always a warm egg. I thought they were slightly overcooked as well. The noodles were also really basic. Nothing really of note except for the base and the mystery condiments. So overall Oreyushio Shibuya gets a 4/5.

Links Links Links to their official website, tabelog, and a map!



吉村家 (Yoshimura Ieke Yokohama)

As I am constantly discovering, Japan has what seems to be endless possibilities in regional cuisine. Of course this is applied to everything, from onigiri to ramen, and Yokohama is no exception. When I was told about "Yokohama style" ramen my interest was immediately piqued. What was it like? What sets it apart from other ramen. My friend described it as a cross between Jiro style (many toppings) and tsukemen (a thicker broth and noodle). He also warned me that not all Yokohama style ramen shops are created equal and gave me a tip to try 吉村家 (Yoshimura).

On a rainy day, before going to the art museum in Yokohama, I decided to swing by and check it out. He warned me that there would probably be a line, but not to be intimidated by it. I have had to wait for things here before, in fact the Japanese seem to be pros at queuing. As predicted there was a line. But my friend and I got our tickets and sat on their rather nice benches outside. I was grateful that this area was somewhat enclosed and we were safe from the rain. What makes this line different from others I experienced in various other shops was that they have a system to let about 10 people at a time come in and sit in the empty half of the restaurant. Ingenious!! We sat and observed a flurry of white T shirts and galoshes from our seats. Because the shop is so open, you are able to watch them make everything and it's quite a show!

Our bowls were served quickly and I was excited to try out the condiments you see above. We had to do a sniff test for the garlic because it was totally green! As you may know already, I value a good assortment of condiments and Yoshimura does not disappoint. Now let's get to the bowl:

As you can see the garlic was green, but already pureed. I ordered mine with egg and extra onion topping. That's probably one of my favorite parts of this shop; all of the toppings are listed on the machine and are very cheap. It also came with pork, spinach, and the obligatory nori. The base is wonderfully meaty, and slightly thick, closer to a tsukemen base. I was only slightly disappointed that my egg wasn't sliced in half because it was seasoned perfectly. The spinach was a nice addition and I used most of my minced onion. Fantastic!! I think Yoshimura has a great system for seating people and the openness of the dining area makes for great entertainment. 5/5

While researching Yoshimura I came across their Wikipedia (for those savvy in Japanese), tabelog, official website, and of course the map:



希望軒 (Kibou-ken Shinjuku)

While on the lookout for part time work I looked out for a good ramen shop to eat away post interview stress. With the help of tabelog I found an excellent spot not so far from Shinjukusanchome station. 希望軒 (Kibou-ken) is part of a small chain which offers several varities of ramen like tonkotsu and miso. I was drawn to this shop because of the following image:

WOW! Who wouldn't want a bowl of ramen lined with meat, other than of course some of my very nice vegetarian friends. When I arrived I paged through their menu with the help of an enthusiastic and friendly Ramen chef. Yes, they have an actual menu, and not just a ticket machine like most shops! I could tell he was used to tourists coming in and seemed well rehearsed in giving me an English tour of their offerings:

Based on the image above I decided that I couldn't pass up the sesame miso ramen. It looked fantastic! While the chef made my bowl and many others for his hungry customers he made small talk with me. Usually I am quite shy with my Japanese language skills but he made me feel at ease so we learned a little bit about eachother. I really appreciate such a friendly warm atmosphere. As he was chatting with me, he put the finishing touches on my bowl. In one deft motion he sliced an egg with fishing line and served up my order. He seemed to be waiting for a response, and I didn't disappoint. Immediatley looking up from my meal with a smile I said oishii (delicious)!! He was very pleased with my reaction, which was a genuine reaction to a wonderful bowl of ramen.

The base was delicate but flavorful, one of the best miso ramens I have had to date, having a subtle sesame flavor. Its egg was well seasoned and cooked perfectly. Some shops serve the egg cold, but this one was warm, which I prefer. All of the toppings (bean sprouts, pork, green onion) were done to perfection. I also really appreciate shops that offer fresh peeled garlic on the table that you can squeeze into your bowl with a garlic press. Everything about Kibouken was a delight, from the warm atmosphere to the delcious ramen, so If you are near Shinjuku station head over to Shinjukusanchome. It's only about a ten minute walk. I really want to go back! おいしかった、またきます!!! 5/5

Links to both their facebook, official website, and tabelog, as well as the map:

陸 尾山台店 (Riku Ramen Oyamadai)

The first encounter I had with Jiro style ramen was a challenge! Let me start at the beginning. Jiro ramen is a style (coming from an original shop, but there are MANY spin offs) which generally has a lot of toppings like cabbage and bean sprouts piled resembling a mountain plus thick slices of pork. It is very popular here and there are many shops that feature Jiro style. A Japanese friend of mine found out about my little project here and asked me if I had tried Jiro style before. I hadn't so he took me to one of his favorite places in Oyamadai. When I ordered the large size he laughed and asked me if I was sure. Undaunted by his laughter I replied with confident YES! We ordered and as we waited my friend taunted me and continued to ask if I was sure I could finish my order. My confidence was unbroken but then our order arrived:

It looked ok, the bowl was a little bit bigger than most, but the toppings were not mountain size like most other Jiro ramen places I have heard about. I began my quest to finish the ramen. What I noticed right away was that this ramen had almost no broth. It was mostly noodles, which were very thick. The broth was a salty delight and extremley flavorful. It reminded me of certain tsukemen broths that I have had. The pork was cut thick and also slightly dry but it wasn't a huge detractor from the overall bowl. I kept at it for a long time, but I didn't see an end in sight. It was as if the bowl kept replenishing itself. I wondered it was a magic curse, or if we had entered an alternate dimension. My friend laughed again, and said something about how he told me to be careful. As much as I was determined to finish, I was unable to complete my quest to defeat my first bout with Jiro style ramen. Defeated, I finally pushed the bowl away. Riku Ramen has excellent service and a delicious soup base. Their toppings aren't too much, but I warn you to get the regular. 4/5 bowls for the slightly dry pork.

As always a map:

Ramen Girl's Festival -- ソラノイロ Japanese Soup Noodle Free Style

The weekend before last Yokohama held a Ramen Girls Festival. In the past ramen was a man's world, but this festival celebrated equal ramen rights for all. I guess! It was held outside beside Yokohama's red brick warehouse. I will use just about any excuse to visit this area of Yokohama because I find it to be enchanting, especially at night:

As you may have inferred from the pictures I arrived in the late after noon and didn't leave until evening. This was because the festival was very busy and each ramen shop represented had lines of hungry customers. The first line I wanted to get in was for a different shop, but the men helping heard the crowd informed me that by the time I got to the ramen (roughly 2 hours) it might be sold out. I don't think this festival was properly organized as it may have been easier to sell tickets to each individual vendor from a ramen style machine, have a set number of tickets for the amount of food, and close the vendor's area when/if they sold out. This misfortune was actually a stroke of luck. The line I ended up in was for ソラノイロ Japanese Soup Noodle Free Style, chosen because of its colorful broth and unique toppings. I assume that to appeal to girls the festival chose shops that were supposed to appeal to women's traditionally assumed appetites. In short, women like vegetables...right?! Well I do, but I don't think it's because of something that stupid. After waiting about an hour and a half I got to turn in my festival tickets plus some extra cash to get all the toppings.

And it was well worth it:

Immediately I saw why this shop was calling itself Free Style. The ramen was topped with cherry tomatoes, sweet potato, a delicious egg, shredded cabbage, mizuna (water greens), cheese, barley, chashu (pork), and a sprinkle of black sesame. The best part was the surprise of the color of the noodles, a bright orange. Actually that wasn't the best part as this ramen was all around delicious. The broth was a delicate tomato and carrot base and the toppings mixed well. I was surprised, but I actually really enjoyed the cheese!

What I liked about the ramen festival was that on the flyer each vendor represented had their shop details listed so that if you missed out on one or wanted to return to another you could easily visit. While I didn't get to visit the shop I would really like to in the future. Here is a link to their site. After scanning the menu I want to return as soon as I can! 5/5

While I didn't visit their shop (located in Chiyoda between Hanzomon and Kojimachi stations) I will map it for you! 



初代 けいすけ 品川店

Recently I had a meeting in Shinagawa station and afterward decided to check out Shinatatsu Ramen Street/Ramen Alley. This is a strip of ramen shops outside of the west exit of Shinagawa station. All of these shops are part of larger chains that have gained notoriety for one reason or another:

The line for Tetsu was too long, as it is the most popular shop in Ramen Alley, so I decided to try Shodai Keisuke:

Ramen Alley is a bit of tourist trap, but Keisuke has been written about positively on TimeOut Tokyo. It was obvious that I try the famed black miso ramen. When my ramen arrived I was excited because it looked beautiful, a delicate topping of saffron, perfectly cooked egg, a generous portion of pork, menma (bamboo shoots), and ribboned negi (green onion):

Toppings, no matter how beautiful or delicious, do not make the bowl. What makes the best bowl is the base, and I am sad to say the black miso base of the ramen at Shodai Keisuke is seriously lacking. The black miso, which looks more green than black, had a muddy flavor. Muddy is not a desirable quality in ramen (for me at least) and it was such a shame because the toppings were done perfectly. The only redeeming flavor factor was the hearty helping of shansho (sichuan pepper). The pepper couldn't save it, but it did help. I might revisit this shop and try a different base, but it won't be any time in the near future. I did enjoy their laminated booklets that featured the owner Keisuke Takeda in cartoon form and other locations of his shops:

The atmosphere was warm and friendly and this is the only place on Ramen Alley that has an English menu, so it might be worth a stop for anyone at Shinagawa waiting on a shinkansen. If you go try something that's not the black miso ramen and let me know if you liked it! From me it gets a 2/5.

<<Click>> for their site, and here's a handy map:

麺場 ハマトラ

You might be thinking (if you have read the blog so far), didn't Natalie already go to a  ハマトラ (Hamatora)? The answer is yes, but most Japanese people will tell you that food, even basic foods like gyoza or onigiri are different in every location! Which is quite true. This location is in Hiyoshi, the place of my future apartment. Hiyoshi is a cute area near Keio University with a ton of ramen shops and other restaurants. Expect a grand tour of Hiyoshi ramen shops in the future! On to the noodles and shop. When we came across the location after studying our map we thought, is this place still under construction??

There is a lot of exposed concrete and what look to be large bags of concrete which (we think) is actually flour for the noodles. I think that they make their noodles at this location, and it is partially the reason I insisted on going here instead of one of the other myriad of shops in Hiyoshi. Because this particular location of ハマトラ serves ramen noodles that are black!

As you can see from the left picture, my ramen was topped with natto. For those of you unfamiliar with Japan, natto is a fermented soy bean product that many people like to eat with rice or alone or topped on various things. I don't really like natto, but it is because of the slimy texture that natto has, not the taste. At least it got mixed into the soup and the texture was masked so I wasn't too unhappy. My friend, who accompanied me on my visit to their Yokohama shop, discussed the flavor of the broth itself. We both agreed that this broth was not as delicious. Perhaps they focus more on noodle production here, but we remain unsure. I did like the novelty of the black noodles though and their business cards!

For some reason my friend and I are unsure of, Hiyoshi is obsessed with tigers. The real kicker is that this shop has a cotton candy machine! So if you feel like getting a diabetic head rush you can help yourself to free cotton candy. Overall this shop was quite nice. I liked the atmosphere (free tea and cotton candy, spacious interior, and FREE WIFI!). Their ramen was also good, but because we had been to the other location we were expecting a little bit more. So this place gets 4/5 bowls.

Here is a link to their tabelog, thier own site and as always a map:



四川麺条 香氣

This was a while ago ramen. Back on a chilly November afternoon I was feeling sick. I even skipped a hair appointment, but that didn't stop me from seeking out some of the spiciest ramen I have had to date. The friends whose neighborhood I was visitng suggested their favorite; "Cou-Ki". This shop had a few options for the level of spice, and like a dummy I chose the two chili option:

 

It certainly cleared out my sinuses and I felt as if the heat was actually helping me fight my cold. I do not recommend this option for the faint of tongue. They do offer a mild option, which I had when I returned and I thought it was much better. It is topped with a pinch of saffron and a really nice tahini. Their ramen is "tan tan" style, which is the Japanese interpretation of Szechuan style noodles (usually served with thinner noodles, chili, and ground pork). In fact, if you ask most Japanese people they will tell you that ramen is not a Japanese food, but rather it is Chinese. I think that the Japanese have done a great job reinventing ramen though! If I were to rate Cou-Ki I think I would give it 3.5 out of 5 bowls and that's mostly based on my noodle thickness bias. I prefer thicker noodles! However, the broth was flavorful and if you want a kick in the mouth you can order some spicy ramen here! The location I visited was in Gakugeidaigaku, but they have several other locations according to their website.

As promised here is a map to the location I visited:

3.5/5

ひょうり

This week's post is about Hyouri. I visited this location because I was at Tokyo Dome City's lights illumination:

It was magical. When researching this event I came across Hiyouri on Time Out Tokyo's website. It looked amazing so I decided to go. According to Time Out Tokyo this is an off shoot of a famous ramen shop in Ikebukuro. It did not disappoint and like most awesome ramen shops there was a slight line. My friend and I patiently waited with our tickets. A very enthusiastic ramen man came to show us to our table and seemed excited to practice his English with us. He wanted to make sure that I, the lady, had ordered the crazy large size. OF COURSE I DID!! And when it came out it was magnificent. Giant pieces of karaage (fried) chicken were piled along with grilled eggplant and beansprouts in a neat heap on top the ramen:

There was an option for super spicy, but I declined because sometimes I just want to taste the ramen and the broth instead of experiencing fire mouth. We were thrilled about the grilled eggplant, which is rarely to never seen in ramen. The broth itself was a mixture of regular ramen broth and a sauce (you can see it under the eggplant) which according to their site has "mega tang". A friend mentioned that I make a rating system and I think I will when I have time but this would definitely get 5/5 ramen bowls!

As promised here is a map of their location and a link <click click> their site:



5/5


メンバハマトラ

This is a ramen shop that was suggested to me by a co worker on my birthday. On this rare occasion we actually walked together to the train and rode it to Yokohama. She asked what I was going to do for my birthday and I said I was thinking about soup curry. She then asked if I liked ramen, to which I replied with an enthusiastic YES! So she recommended this shop to me and my plans quickly changed. After a few drinks with a friend we made our way through a cold rainy Yokohama night to メンバハマトラ (Mennba Hamatora). This ramen shop was slightly confounding because on the machine everything seemed to be labled as soba (i will return to get some more pictures of this fantastic shop). We sat excitedly anticipating our ramen and we were not disappointed. We soon discovered that this was not soba at all, but a thick tsukemen type noodle. There were some options for the soup base like chicken or seafood (which is actually quite rare in most ramen shops). My friend got the seafood and I chose the chicken. Both were delicious  and rich in flavor (おいしかった！！）. The noodles also had a desirable thickness. For any of you who are savvy with Japanese here is the link to the tabelog and their website. This shop is part of a chain, but I visited the one in Yokohama.

I highly recommend this shop. For all of my posts I will include a map in case anyone is in Japan and wants to visit some fantastic noodle shops.

5/5

Noodle blog!!!

I have been in Japan for nearly 2 years and I have not written about my experiences in one of my favorite culinary areas: RAMEN/UDON/SOBA, ie noodles. I love noodles and Japan is a great country to experience a lot of different kinds of offerings in this area. I want to try to document, at least once a week, some of my fantastic noodle adventures. I hope you enjoy it!!