Blogspot - Ramenz Kitchen

麺屋 一燈 Of course, I have been to Itto before . They are considered one of the best tsukemen shops in Japan, commanding a near perfect 97.94 ranking on the infamous Ramen Database . How does that rank overall? Best in the country, actually! Why did I brave the long lines this time? Mr. Ramen Culture, a fellow ramen nerd who came out to Japan to work at Japan's #1 ramen shop. https://www.theramenculture.com/ And this limited bowl of niboshi-heavy ramen. To be honest, though this was a rad bowl, their original tsukemen is always the way to go at Itto. This particular one was made with specialty Japanese chickens from Nagoya. The soup was so thick that they hit it with some soup wari at the end, something usually reserved for tsukemen. Soup wari (スープ割り) is essentially a light broth added to thick soup to make it drinkable. Many shops add in extras. This bowl added shredded chicken, salt-cured konbu seaweed, and rice. Now that I think about it, this might not really be a soup wari situat...

Tombo Those in the know are no stranger to Saikoro , the ramen shop in Nakano. One of Tokyo's most famous shops, they have nurtured a few chefs on their journey to opening ramen shops of their own. Naoki-san had been working at Saikoro for who knows how long, and it was great to visit his new restaurant a day before they opened for service. Tombo means dragonfly, for your information. I love seeing a shiny new shop. The menu will be no surprise to any fans of Saikoro; shoyu or shio based niboshi ramen, with some tsukemen options as well. Deep flavors in a simple bowl. If you are a fan of this style, Tombo is a must hit. The location is a short walk from Kichijoji Station, along a road that is surprisingly lacking in ramen (in about a 500 meter radius at least). Some touches, like a little fried onion in the soup, remind me of where this came from, while the pork, cut thick and fatty, are new. Overall a fantastic bowl. I checked their Instagram page, and it looks like you can expec...

Noodle Stand Tokyo Last year I wrote about (and made a YouTube video for) a shop up near Akabane Station on the north side of Tokyo. The shop was called  noodle kitchen ミライゑ , and Miraie closed soon after my video trended. Their soupless noodles topped with stewed beef tendon looked as good as it tasted, but it was now gone. The details about the sudden closure are unimportant, as they have now reopened in a much better part of town. Harajuku is about as central as it gets. The menu is almost identical. The stewed beef mazesoba is still here, as is their kuroshio niboshi, an MSG-free bowl of Tokyo-style soy sauce ramen. There is an interesting angle here, focusing on using ingredients that are considered ethical. This can be a bit misleading, as the definition of ethical food is undefined, and the connotations are all over the place. I'm sure a vegetarian wouldn't put beef in the ethical category, and salt production around the globe uses a lot of illegal work practices. When I...

かしわぎ Ramen shops come and go, and sometimes a popular shop disappears for no apparent reason. I never made it to 麺処 今川 ( Imagawa ), but I had heard good things. They closed a while back. Well, their spiritual successor recently opened, and much closer to where I live. Good news. The other good news is the price. 680 yen is a steal these days, especially for a high caliber bowl like this one. The shop has space for larger groups, though you should always eat at a spirited pace and give up your seat for the next customer. Ramen etiquette 101. I was doing a food tour this day, and this is something I tell all of my customers. Some people don't like it, being pressured to stop talking, eat, and get out, but this is the way it is in Japan. If you want to hang out at a ramen shop for 45 minutes, there are plenty of popular chain shops that will let you do this. Kashiwagi uses a pork and shellfish soup, picking umami-rich clams to give this bowl a nice balance. It is very simple, but each...

東京ラーメンショー 2017 We tried all 18 bowls at the 2nd week of the Tokyo Ramen Show. On till Sunday! The lighter soups were the winners this time. #crushedit A post shared by Ramen Adventures (@ramenadventures) on Nov 3, 2017 at 1:34am PDT I'm not going to report on the event, as it is long over, but I will say that this is probably my last time trying so many bowls at one time. Famous last words, but I felt that after number six or seven my taste buds were shot. I was with a friend, a super ramen nerd, who was trying to reach 1000 bowls in the year. You can do this by attending these sort of ramen festivals, which are now almost weekly around Japan. Other ramen nerds have begun to dislike this sort of binge eating, as it appears to be more about numbers than actually enjoying the food. I am of two minds, though wasting food is always an issue. I was really happy to see the other Tokyo festival, the Grand Tsukemen Fest, dropping their price down to 500 yen and serving half size portions o...

大つけ麺博　２０１７ Week 3 of the Grand Tsukemen Fest (@daitsukemenhaku) in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Managed to crush all 9 with the help of @theramenculture and the usual lot of ramen nerds who come to these events. It's still on for a few more weeks. This time, each bowl is just 500 yen, and the portions are smaller. Good move on the organizer's part. A post shared by Ramen Adventures (@ramenadventures) on Oct 12, 2017 at 7:27pm PDT Crushed it! The 2017 Grand Tsukemen Fest is on now in Shinjuku. Every week 9 shops from around Japan show up. This year, the portions are smaller, and only 500 yen. Solid way to spend an afternoon. I'll go again next week, October 12th, at 11:00am if anyone wants to join. #tsukemen #つけ麺 #大つけ麺博 A post shared by Ramen Adventures (@ramenadventures) on Oct 6, 2017 at 7:18am PDT The Grand Tsukemen Fest did something great this year. They dropped the price of bowls to 500 yen, and they halved the portions. This meant that I could roll in with a couple of friends eac...

長浜らーめん世田谷店 Not sure how this one ended up on my list of spots to try. At 600 yen, though, it's a steal. A stinky, stinky steal. I could smell this shop a block away. A typical smell for a typical bowl of tonkotsu ramen. Oh wait, I remember why I wanted to come! Despite the odd smattering of famous people's signatures, I remember my friend Ladybeard had been here for a video shoot. Yes, I have interesting friends in Japan. Ladybeard has since left the Ladybaby group and gone on to form Deadlift Lolita, the first weight training idol group of its kind. But you probably already knew that. 東京都世田谷区上北沢4-30-8 Tokyo, Setagaya-ku, Kamikitazawa 4-30-8 Closest station: Hachimanyama Open 11:00-5:00am Closed Wednesdays

The Best Ramen in Japan 2017 Edition This was a fun year for travelling outside of Tokyo in search of great bowls. Much of my search was actually revisiting my favorite shops in as many prefectures as I could, and documenting it for a YouTube project that I am working on called Ramen Riders. But there were still many chances to try new, stellar bowls. Here are the eight bowls from Japan (and abroad) that made a big impact on me in 2017. NOROMA in Nara Nara Prefecture's #1 ranked shop. Creamy chicken soup that is simple, with a very deep, lingering aftertaste. 麺や青雲志 (Seiunshi in Mie) I was on a cross-country ramen trip when I noticed that I had a shop nearby that someone had recommended. It turned out to be one of the best bowls of the year. Only open for a few hours at lunch, and they almost always sell out. Three or four different styles, and the two I tried were a testament to this one. 和海 (Nagomi in Hyogo) Hyogo Prefecture's #1 ranked shop. Chicken and primo dried fish make ...

The Best Ramen in Tokyo 2017 Edition In 2017, my pace picked up significantly. Though I ate around the same number of bowls in total as in 2016, I really hit the new shops with gusto. Here are 13 that were particularly great (with another 10 at the bottom for good measure). Keep in mind that this list is not a best-of list, but the bowls that I personally tried for the first time this year and loved. 楓 (Kaede in Ogikubo) Kaede is an offshoot of the famous miso ramen shop Hanamichi. This one is just as good, if not better for the touch of ginger sauce on top. MENSHO in Gokokuji One of the latest (he keeps opening new shops!) from the MENSHO group. Farm-to-table is the concept, and this one is as close to a fine-dining bowl as you'll get for under $50. 季織亭 (Kioritei in Yoyogi-Uehara) 麺屋福丸 (Fukumaru in Sasazuka) The ramen critics didn't like this one as much as me, but I think their kamopaitan , creamy soup made with 100% duck bones, is to die for. A unique taste you won't fin...