Kizo

My standard for a trip to Tokyo is one bowl out of convenience at Tokyo Ramen Street. This time I visited Kizo, a shop with shio ramen and pieces of Sendai's famous beef tongue.

東京に行くときにいつも東京ラーメンストリートでいっぱいを食べます。今回㐂蔵という店に行って、仙台牛タンが入っている塩ラーメンを食べました。

The Bowl
The base of the broth was pretty simple, but there was so much pickle-y negi and sesame seeds to give it flavor. It made it taste like slurping flat noodles dipped in sesame oil. The chashu was, of course, ultra-tender beef tongue that still kept that earthy flavor.

スープの基礎はシンプルであっさりですけど、ピックルっぽいネギとゴマで味が強くなりました。平たい麺を啜ったら、ゴマ油の香りがしました。チャーシューはもちろん激柔らかくて、旨味がよく効いていました。

Would I Go Again?


Should You Go?


Information
仙台牛タンねぎ塩ラーメン 㐂蔵

Ikaruga

Continuing with my trip to Tokyo, I decided to meet a friend for some ramen in Tokyo Station. I've been to most of the shops that were there when I lived in Tokyo, but by now some shops have moved out and new ones have moved in. Ikaruga has been there the whole time, and that's where I decided to go this time.

Back when I lived in Tokyo I visited the flagship shop of Ikaruga in Ichigaya. That shop has some of the bet tonkotsu ramen I've ever had; frothy, round tonkotsu but still with robust, rich pork. The shop in Tokyo Ramen Street specializes in gyokai tonkotsu, so I was in for something a little different.

東京の旅がまだ続いています！東京駅で友達とラーメンを食べる予定がありました。東京に住んでいた頃の東京ラーメンストリートのほとんどの店に行きましたけど、新しいのが出てきたりします。斑鳩がずっと残っていて、今回そこに行くことにしました。

東京に住んでいたときに一回市ヶ谷の本店に行きました。その店の豚骨ラーメンが非常に美味しかったです。まろやかですけど、ちゃんとした豚骨の深みのでました。東京駅支店の定番は魚介豚骨なのでそれにしました。

The Bowl
This was a different beast from the tonkotsu ramen I had at the main shop once upon a time, but the Ikaruga touch was there. The broth was creamy smooth, a rich gyokai tonkotsu that was just a tad oily and reminiscent of favorite shop Mitsuboshi Seimenjo. The noodles were medium, a nice fit for the thickness of the soup, and too went down smooth. The bowl was adorned with a creamy egg, long, fibrous menma, and two large, round slices of sweet chashu.

このラーメンは本社の豚骨と違うものなんですけど、似ているところがありました。このラーメンもまろやかでした。ちょっとだけ油濃くて、大好きなみつ星製麺所みたいになめらかな食感でした。中太麺がスープと良く合いました。トッピングに関しては、クリーミーな味玉、長くて深みがあるメンマ、丸くてほんのり甘めのチャーシューが乗っていました。

Would I Go Again?
This was very good, but I can't help myself from checking out a different shop in Tokyo Station next time.

このラーメンがかなりうまかったですけど、やっぱり次東京ラーメンストリートに行くときに違う店に行ってみたいです。

Should You Go?
If you're doing Tokyo Ramen Street, this should definitely be a candidate for which shop to go to.

東京ラーメンストリートに行くなら、斑鳩がオススメの一つです。

Information
東京駅 斑鳩

Sora no Iro

Any trip to Tokyo comes with lots of ramen. Tokyo Ramen Street is so central, and right next to the Shinkansen, so it's hard to stop anywhere else when I arrive. This time I tried ramen street newcomer Sora no Iro, an odd shop that prides itself on vegan ramen. I've rarely ever had this easy to mess up dish before, so I held my breath even though I had heard only good things.

東京に行くならいっぱいラーメンを食べます。東京ラーメンストリートは新幹線に近くて行きやすいので、よく行っちゃいます。今回ラーメンストリートに最近デビューした「ソラノイロ」に行こうとしました。ソラノイロの名物はビーガンラーメンです。それは珍しくて、難しいと思います。いっぱい美味しい噂を聞いたので、入ってみました。

The Bowl
The look, the smell, everything about this is different from standard ramen, almost to the point of questioning if it is ramen. It had aromas of carrots and tomatoes, clearly main ingredients judging by the orange color of the soup. The thin broth tasted similarly, with some potato after-taste as well. The noodles were unique as well. They were made with udon flour and paprika, producing flat, reddish, elastic wheat.

Let's not forget the mass of vegetables on top. There was cabbage, zucchini, and lotus root chips. Tomatoes, carrots, and yuzu pepper on the side. A creamy, tangy egg. It was very different from a bowl made from meat, but it was hearty and delicious, without leaving me needing a nap afterwards.

見た目と香りは普通のラーメンと全然違って、「これほんまにラーメン？！」まで聞きました。食べる前でもにんじんとトマトの匂いがして、橙色のスープを見る限り、めっちゃい入っている感じがしました。やっぱり、トマトとにんじんあとは芋が味わえました。麺も変わっていました。うどん粉とパプリカで作られて、平たいすっごいこしがある麺になりました。

しかも、トッピングが多くて、あまりスープが見えませんでした。キャベツ、ズッキーニ、レンコンチップが乗っていました。トマト、にんじん、柚子胡椒もありました。トロトロとした玉子も。肉が入っているラーメンと全然違いましたけど、がっつりしてうまかったです。

Would I Go Again?
Yes.

また行きたいです。

Should You Go?
Yes.

絶対行くべきです。

Information
ソラノイロ NIPPON

Tonari

After my trips to Vancouver and New York, it was back to Japan for a while. My flight required me to stop over in Tokyo for a few hours, though, so I made the most of it by swinging by Tokyo Ramen Street.

Tokyo Ramen Street has switched up its stores a few times since I lived in Tokyo. New to the street is Tonari, a shop specializing in tanmen, a vegetable-filled style of shio ramen. I had never actually had tanmen before, so I was pretty excited to give the style a try.

バンクーバーとニューヨークの旅行が終わってから、日本に帰ってきました。東京に乗り換えがあったので、東京駅にある東京ラーメンストリートに寄りました。

東京から引っ越ししてから東京ラーメンストリートにある店が変わりました。「トナリ」というタンメン専門店が最近できました。タンメンを食べたことはありませんでしたから、楽しみにしていました。

Lots of vegetables in tanmen

タンメンにやっぱ野菜だらけ

The Bowl
The broth was a simple shio, very light and peppery. It was easy to drink, but was just a base for the smattering of toppings. Thick curly noodles, sprouts, carrots, chives, corn, and cabbage covered the bowl. Light and tasty, and probably the most healthy bowl of ramen I've ever had.

スープは塩胡椒っぽい塩でした。飲みやすくて、こんなラーメンだったらトッピングがメインの感じがします。太い縮れ麺、もやし、にんじん、ニラ、とうもろこし、白菜など乗っていました。さっぱりした感じで、食べたラーメンの中に、きっと一番健康的です。

Would I Go Again?
It was tasty, but I still have other shops in Tokyo Ramen Street to visit.

おいしかったですけど、他の東京ラーメンストリートにある店に行ってみたいです。

Should You Go?
Anyone who hasn't had a bowl of tanmen should try one, and Tonari is a good place to try it.

タンメンを食べたことない人、となりに行ってみてください。

Information
東京タンメン トナリ

T's Tantan

Day two of my end of year visit to Tokyo, which means it's time for my second bowl of ramen. My vegetarian friend recently moved to Tokyo, and compared to Osaka, it's veggie heaven. There's even, as we discovered, a vegan ramen shop. Located inside Tokyo Station (but outside of the illustrious Tokyo Ramen Street), T's Tantan specializes in tantanmen. Vegan and spicy? Yes please. I got a set with a side of fake-chicken karaage.

年末の東京の遊びの二日目なのでラーメンの二杯目を食べることになります。最近大阪に住んでいたベジタリアン友達が東京に引っ越ししました。関西に比べると、東京にはベジタライアンレストランがめちゃくちゃ多いです。東京駅の中にある「T's たんたん」は動物系を使わない担々麺専門店です。ビーがんと辛いのでめっちゃ食べたくなりました。白たんたん＋（にせものの）ミニから揚げ丼にしました。

The fake chicken was pretty good; it didn't taste like chicken, nor should it. 

偽者のチキンがおいしかったです。チキンの味がしませんでしたけど、しないはずですね。

The Bowl
A thin, sesame, yet very spicy, broth. The noodles were thin, and curly. If I didn't know any better, I would not have guessed there was no meat in this bowl. In fact, in place of the ground pork, there was ground fake-pork. It was pretty good, and went well with the mountains of sprouts inhabiting the soup. This wasn't just some of the best vegetarian food I've had in a while, it was among the best ramen I've had in a while.

とろみはなくてごまも辛みがいっぱいあったスープでした。麺が細縮れ麺でした。既に知らなかったら、動物が入っていないとは知りません。豚肉の代わりに偽者の豚肉が入っていました。うまくて、大盛りのもやしとよくあいました。最近のおすすめなベジタライアン料理だけじゃなくて、やっぱラーメンとしてもおすすめです。

Would I Go Again?
Yes, it's different and delicious.

変わっていておいしかったのでまた行きたいです。

Should You Go?
Yes.

はい。

Information
T’sたんたん

Junk Garage

Every trip out of Japan must have a trip back in. And every new year must have its first bowl of ramen. I'm slowly making my way through all of Tokyo Ramen Street's shops, and I have half of them eternally recorded on the internet to boot. The only one after last year's Hirogao is Ikaruga, which I've eaten at the main shop of.

I've really come around on abura soba, and aptly named Junk Garage is the abura-est of all. Garlic, oil, cheese? Choose how much you want. There is no limit to what can be a topping at Junk Garage

In a weird coincidence, as I'm writing this I've realized that for the past two years, my first ramen of the year has had the word "junk" in the name. Can I do a 2014 hat trick?

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ジャンクガレッジ
Tōkyō-to, Chiyoda-ku, Marunouchi, １丁目９−１

The Bowl
Soak in the pre and post-mix photos; I'm getting hungry just writing about them. An egg, chashu, and some vegetables are among the toppings I remember in this mish-mash bowl. The noodles were thick and firm, and a little peppery. The sauce combination was very oily and garlicky, and had weird tastes of shoyu and cheese strewn about. And of course the chashu. That was very fatty too.

Would I Go Again?
This was my second time and I'm looking forward to my third.

Should You Go?
Yes. I've never seen an abura soba place quite like Junk Garage.

Hirugao

My brother had just left the land of the rising sun for New York, and just a day or two after I set out to follow him. As often happens, my flight was out of Narita Airport, so I used it as an opportunity to hit up yet another Tokyo Ramen Street shop.

Hirugao is Tokyo Ramen Street's premier shio joint. Shio is not my favorite kind of broth, and I didn't know anything extra about Hirugao, so I had been saving it for last. But finally it was time.

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塩専門 ひるがお
Tōkyō-to, Chiyoda-ku, Marunouchi, １丁目９−１

The Bowl
The Hirugao-named bowl came with a whole smorgasbord of toppings. An egg, chashu, a wonton, yuzu peel, some kind of fish paste, menma, and onions. Even the noodles were covered in fishy specks! They were all solid, but the weird variety and extra good wonton pushed the bowl ahead of a generic good shio competitor.

Would I Go Again?
If I go all the way back to Tokyo, I'll probably try somewhere new.

Should You Go?
It was quite good; check it out if you're in Tokyo Ramen Street and want something light.

Kanisenmon Keisuke

Continuing on my trip to Tokyo, I introduced my brother to Tokyo Ramen Street. A wonderful place with different branches of famous ramen shops, one of my goals of living in Japan was to go to all eight shops. I had been to Keisuke before, but it's great and I had never reviewed it before, so I was willing to give it another go.

Keisuke is a chain of mostly seafood themed ramen shops. They have a light shrimp shio ramen in Takadanobaba, thick shrimp tsukemen with noodles that have been fried near Tokyo University, in addition to a handful of other shops. "Kanisenmon" means "dedicated to crab", which is the theme of this branch. The tare is miso, and in a true tribute to the birthplace of miso ramen, the bowl is in the shape of Hokkaido.

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蟹専門 けいすけ 北の章
Tōkyō-to, Chiyoda-ku, Marunouchi, １丁目９−１

The Bowl
Drinking the last bits of broth from this bowl was quite a challenge. You pretty much have to use the extreme north or south end of the island. The broth was a great miso, with more than a dash of crab. The noodles and most of the toppings were good, and the thick chashu was great. To top it off, we ordered some extra crab balls; unusual but delicious.

Would I Go Again?
Yes I would.

Should You Go?
It's a tough call between this shop and a few of the others in Tokyo Ramen Street, but this is a very good choice.

Mutsumiya

It was the end of the December, which meant that Christmas and New Years were coming up, and a winter break along with it.  I had plans to go back to New York, and the most convenient flight I could find was from Tokyo, not Osaka.  What that meant was a chance to catch up with some friends, and get some ramen in Tokyo Station.  I've been to a number of the shops in Tokyo Station's Ramen Street, so I chose a Hokkaido-style Miso shop I hadn't yet been to - Mutsumiya.

The menu had a ton of different variations, including a black version that my friend ordered.  Mutsumiya's standard bowl is the red or white miso ramen.  Each week they have a different one, and that week was red, which is what I went for.

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らーめん むつみ屋
Tōkyō-to, Chiyoda-ku, Marunouchi, １丁目９−１
Mutsumiya is in Tokyo Ramen Street in Tokyo Station.

The Bowl
Before the bowl even arrived at the table, I could smell the miso in the air.  Nothing better to get a man salivating.  The broth was a very rich miso, and the noodles were thin but firm.  The egg was menma were chewy and the egg was alright, but nothing beat the chashu.  The chashu was a little smoky and very flavorful.  Generally the bowl reminded me a lot of the one I had at Sumire.

Would I Go Again?
It was pretty darn delicious.  I don't see myself in Tokyo soon, but even if I did, I would be forced to try somewhere different.  If there was one in Osaka, though, I would be there.

Should You Go?
Yeah, it was quite good.  There's a number of branches around Tokyo, but for fellow Kansai residents, you'll probably have to stick to one of the ones we have, such as the above-mentioned Sumire or Ramen 3738.