Monday, December 7, 2015

桜花 (Oka in Shinjuku)

桜花

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I am always on the hunt for great vegan ramen. So when I heard that a new shop was serving up a vegan bowl, I went for it. I'll be honest, of the five or six places in Tokyo that serve a real vegan bowl of ramen, only two are good; Soranoiro and here at Oka. The other shops are downright awful.

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I was very happy with this one. The soup is a light tomato broth, topped with colorful, crisp vegetables.

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Notice that strange looking bowl? Well, when your noodles are gone, you are given a small bowl of rice, and can pour some soup in.

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The shop even has the Halal stamp of approval for their meat dishes, making this an extremely accessible shop for travelers.

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Speaking of meat, their normal bowl is outstanding. The soup is made with red snapper and tomato, topped with a yuzu citrus foam, and served with crispy fried chicken on the side. I ate this bowl as part of a TV shoot recently. Check it out here:



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If you aren't a vegan, go for that one, as the fish really adds a lot of depth to the flavor profile.

Oka is a new shop, and is already a hit with the foreign community.

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Map of 1 Chome-11-7 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tōkyō-to 160-0022, Japan

東京都新宿区新宿1-11-7
Tokyo, Shinjuku-ku, Shinjuku 1-11-7
Closest station: Shinjuku-Gyoenmae

Open 11:30-15:00, 18:00-21:00
Closed Mondays

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