Monday, October 13, 2008

虎洞 (Kodo in Kichijoji)

虎洞



Take the central exit from Kichijoji station. It's not far. There is a lot in the area. Look for the croquette shop with a 2 hour line. I'm serious, just ask where the famous croquettes are and it's right next door.


Translates to "tiger den". Apparently, 虎 also means a drunk guy. A nice thing about this shop is their ever changing menu. A few months ago was a hanami ramen, with shrimp soup, shrimp meatballs, and asparagus. Sorry, no good photos of that awesome ramen. Now that the weather is getting ass hot in Japan, bring out the cold, spicy tsukemen.



The soup was a thick sesame broth, with a couple tablespoons of hot spice mixed in. The kind of spice that hits the sides of your mouth. The kind of spice that begs for cold beer.


(note... American micro brew beer not available at ramen shops)


Paired with thick sticky noodles that grab a lot of flavor. Even though the whole deal is pretty rich, it didn't weigh me down like some thick noodles can (Ramen Jiro, anyone?) I was even able to sprint back to Ogikubo on my bicycle without any side effects.



Like I said, this place is always adding inventive new ramen to their menu. And FYI, there is a really popular cake shop across the street if you want some cake.


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