Geez! It’s been
exactly 2 months since the day I left Japan and came back to Indonesia :( .
Yes, I have been terribly sad and I am still wishing that someday something
could bring me back to this country, where I’ve left part of my heart (or may
be almost whole of it). Okay, I start to be over-exaggerating but I can’t lie
to myself that I miss miss miss Japan so so so much! The fresh air, the hectic
trains, the amazing queue, the extremely nice people, everything. And most
importantly, the scrumptious foods, which always come with stunning
presentation.
I have been waiting
for this time to come, the time when I can start writing my Japan food and
travel guide for all of you who have been asking me to make this for tons of
time. So here it is, my very first Japan food guide and as the very first one,
I pick Japan’s most wanted traditional dishes (well, according to me they are
for most of the tourists), Japanese noodles! I’ll share with you the list of
all Ramen, Soba, and Udon restaurants I’ve ever been in Tokyo and its
surroundings. They’re somehow different one to another as you know that Japan
has several styles of noodles, such as Ramen, Soba, and Udon. Moreover, for
each of them, the dish itself might be various, depending on the origin or the
prefecture where it comes from. Please note that the order is just random, but
don’t worry as I’ll definitely tell you if they are on my must-try list!
1.
Mutekiya Ikebukuro
1-17-1 Minamiikebukuro, Tokyo
Mon – Sun 10.30am – 4.00pm
My most recommended dish here is their signature, Nikutamamen (¥1,050). This Hakata style ramen, which is pork-based broth, is the best ramen I’ve ever tried in my whole life! So if you say you’ve tried the best ramen ever, please think twice if you haven’t tried Mutekiya. This is definitely a must-must try! The ramen is served with sliced roasted pork, flavored egg, bamboo shots, and seaweed with Mutekiya name printed on it. The best parts of this Nikutamamen are the extremely tender pork and the super rich broth. Trust me, you don’t even want to leave any single drop of the broth in your bowl. Warning, please expect approximately 30-minute queue, especially if you come during weekend or lunch time.
2.
Gogyo Nishiazabu
1-4-36 Nishiazabu, Tokyo
Mon – Fri 11.30am – 4.00pm,
5.00pm – 3.00am; Sun 11.30am – 4.00pm, 5.00pm – 12.00am
My most favorite dish
from Gogyo is their Burnt Miso Ramen (¥880). Yes, the color is black and it’s
literally burnt. You can see the big fire in the kitchen when you’re dining in
the restaurant. That burnt yet tasty broth is basically the distinctive point
from Gogyo Ramen.
3.
Yoroiya Ramen
1-36-7 Asakusa, Tokyo
Mon – Sun 11.00am – 8.30pm
Yoroiya serves shoyu
(soy sauce) based ramen with clear broth. I tried this ramen stall when I
visited Asakusa, the place where the famous Sensoji temple’s located. The queue
was quite long as it’s been known as one of the oldest ramen stall. I had their
Tamago Ramen (¥880), which was served with the double-yolk egg, their
point-of-selling. However, personally I don’t think there’s something special
with the taste and it’s just okay for me.
4.
Kagari Ginza
4-4-1 Ginza, Tokyo
Mon – Fri 11.00am – 3.30pm,
5.30pm – 10.30pm; Sat 11.00am – 3.30pm, 5.30pm – 9.00pm
If most ramen in Japan
is served with sliced pork and having pork-based soup, Kagari is the solution
for you who doesn’t eat pork. Yes, they do sell sliced pork as the toppings,
but their signature dish is their Tori Paitan (¥980), ramen with chicken-based
soup and chicken toppings. If I nominate Mutekiya as the best pork ramen I’ve
ever had, then Kagari’s Tori Paitan is the best for chicken one. I’ve never
eaten boiled chicken as tender and juicy as theirs. It was perfectly cooked,
which you might see from its pinkish color. The condiments were also unique, as
you would get salmon roe and mushrooms. For mine, I also added sliced beef as I was so tempted looking at those pinkish medium-well beef as well, which were proven so yummy. Same as Mutekiya, you have to queue
here and it’s even crazier as it might take more than 1 hour since the stall
can only occupy around 8-10 people.
5.
Ichiran
3-34-11 Shinjuku, 4-11-11 Roppongi, 7-1-1 Ueno, 6-5-6 Jingumae, 1-39-11
Higashiikebukuro, 2-8-8 Azabujuban, 2-14-10 Sangenjaya, 6-19-11 Haramachida,
1-3-3 Nishikicho, 13-7 Udagawacho, 3-12-22 Sakae (Tokyo)
Mostly opened for 24 hours
For those who have
been to Japan, you must have known Ichiran as it’s probably the most famous
ramen chain among tourists. First time coming to Japan, the only ramen stall I
know was Ichiran as so many people were talking about it. Additionally, it’s
available at almost every areas in Tokyo (they even have 3 stalls in Shibuya!) and
most of the stalls open for 24 hours. If you’re a tourist just like me, you
might find this ramen stall quite unique as there are walls between each guest,
making you feel like you’re eating by yourself in a private room. Just like
other chain restaurants in Japan, you just need to order your dish through the
vending machine provided in front of the stall. However, you needn’t worry as
you can request for additional order later.
Cut the story short, I
finally try their Classic Tonkotsu ramen (¥790). I personally think the
sliced pork were too thin and I needed to order more slices as I were not
satisfied enough with the default one, which came with 3 slices of roasted pork
and condiments. The broth was quite good, but to be honest it didn’t impress me
that much. For me, it was delicious but not to crave for.
6.
New Tantanmen Noppo Ingen
1-1-7 Nishikanagawa, Yokohama
Another variant of
ramen is served here, it’s the Tantanmen, the spicy ramen with chili and
garlic-based soup mixed with eggs and diced pork. They basically serve only one
type of ramen, but you can adjust almost everything; the spiciness level, the
garlic amount, the eggs amount, and even the diced pork amount. I go for its
level 4 and yes, it’s so spicy, even for Indonesian taste bud who usually can
stand quite high spiciness level like me. It somehow looks simple, but the
taste is actually awesome. It’s just different style to enjoy your bowl of
ramen! One note, beware of the garlicky smell which might come out from your
mouth after having this. My Japanese friend even told me that people usually
want to have this at Saturday as they’ll just stay at home and meet no one at
Sunday.
7.
Yamatoten Abura Soba
1-5-1 Shinjuku Nishiguchi MB 3F, Tokyo
Mon – Sun 11.00am – 12.00am
Just couple of weeks
after I arrived for the first time in Japan, Yamatoten Abura Soba established
their very first brand in Pantai Indah Kapuk, Jakarta. I was so curious to try
as they claimed themselves as Tokyo’s best Abura Soba. I tried to ask my
Japanese friends, but surprisingly only some of them know Abura Soba and they
do say it’s not that common in Tokyo. I then tried to find out where the
original one’s actually located and luckily I managed to go there. For you who
don’t know what Abura Soba is, it’s basically boiled thick noodle with
specially made sauce, served with roasted pork. People sometimes call it as
soupless soba as well. When you want to eat it, you have to mix it with the
special oils provided with the amount recommended. I tried their Half-boiled
Egg Abura Soba (¥750), and my tummy was pampered right at the first spoon.
That’s my first time trying Abura Soba and it immediately became one of my most
favorite Japanese noodle! Even when I went back to Jakarta, it’s one of my
top-priorities to try.
8.
Nishiesyouten
Aqua City 5th Floor, Odaiba, Tokyo
Mon – Sun 11.00am – 11.00pm
Located at the Ramen
Village at Aqua City Odaiba, this ramen stall is just one of the many ramen
stalls available there, each of which sell their own specialty ramen.
Nishiesyouten captured my interest as they served Abura Soba (¥700).
Different from Yamatoten, this one’s richer in terms of toppings and condiments,
and all of them perfectly suited my palate. The taste was pretty different from
Yamatoten but I did like this one so much! So for you who have tried Yamatoten
and want to have different version of Abura Soba, this could be your perfect
choice. Besides, you can enjoy the beautiful view of Odaiba while having your delightful
bowl of soba.
9.
Kazuga Tei
2-6-12, Dogenzaka, Shibuya, Tokyo or 7-10-14 Shinjuku, Tokyo
Another option for Abura Soba is Kazuga Tei, whose
stalls are available in Tokyo’s 2 most famous places, Shibuya and Shinjuku. In
terms of toppings and condiments, their signature Abura Soba is quite similar
to Yamatoten as it’s not that much. However, the sauce is totally different. It
somehow looks like cheese but please note that it’s not cheese. For you who
love noodle with creamy sauce, this can be one of your to-have list. It’s quite
hard to explain how the taste is because I can’t find any other food with similar
taste, but simply said, it’s luscious.
10. Tsurutontan
3-14-12, Roppongi, Tokyo or 2-26-3 Kabukicho B1F, Shinjuku, Tokyo
Mon – Sun 11.00am – 5.30am
Different from the
previous 9 restaurants, Tsurutontan is famous for their udon and highly
well-known for their giant portion. Even the normal one is far bigger than your
face. Actually they do serve other types of noodles like Ramen, but their udon
is highly recommended. I tried their Tsuruton Zanmai (¥1890), which from the picture
only you could tell that it must be super good. It’s clear soup based udon,
served with beef, egg, prawn tempura and veggies tempura. You needn’t worry to
be deceived by the photo as in Japan, the actual one is either same or even
better than the photo. Don’t think that it’s overprice before you try it
yourself. Looking at the super generous portion and abundant toppings, you’ll
definitely think the price really worth the quality and taste. The udon has
perfect texture and all the toppings come as flawless companion. One thing to
note, they require each guest to order minimum 1 food/beverage. As the portion
is so huge, I recommend you to share one for two and order only light bites or
beverage for your sharing partner.
I still can’t believe
that I finally finish writing my very first Japan food guide. Please be patient
to wait for the next series as I have been extremely busy these days and it
takes quite long time to make this type of guide as I want to make each of them
as complete as possible. In case that you have any questions, feel free to drop
me email and I’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible. I’m always
excited every time I talk about Japan, especially all its foods! I really hope
it can help you exploring Japan :).
Thanks
for Reading! :)
Find me on:
Inputs & comments: jessicagaby@ymail.com
