くろおび (Kuroobi in Daimon)

利尻昆布ラーメン くろおび



Rishiri Island is in the far, far reaches of northern Hokkaido. It is an amazing little island. As steep as Mt. Fuji, so the frequent rainwater collects a massive amount of minerals as it drizzles to the sea. This mineral-rich water feeds the konbu seaweed, making it some of the best in Japan. To put its level of excellence into gourmet terms, the chef at Noma, considered the world's best restaurant, who is fanatical about local product, imports Rishiri konbu to his Copenhagen shop.



I visited the island a few years ago, with the intent of summiting the famous mountain.



Crushed it!



So when a Rishiri konbu ramen shop opens, I'm in it as soon as possible.



Go for the shio. The whole point of using an ultra high grade seaweed is to savor the delicate umami.



And Kuroobi has it.

I prefer the shio ramen here. No big flavor impact, so you can focus on the smooth seaweed aftertaste.



The master, who hails from the island, named his shop black belt after the image of dark Rishiri konbu.

東京都港区芝公園2-3-8
Tokyo, Minato-kui, Shibakoen 2-3-8
Closest station: Daimon

Open 11:00-15:00, 17:00-22:00
Saturday 11:00-20:00
Closed Sundays

三歩一 (Sanpoichi in Takadanobaba)

鶏そば 三歩一 



I don't visit Takadanobaba that often, despite it being one of Tokyo's more famous ramen battle zones.



Well, I got a TV gig, and the topic was Takadanobaba ramen ranking. They gave me a list of 60 shops to comment on. No I didn't hit all of them, but made it a point to seek out a few top contenders I had yet to slurp.



Sanpoichi is as light as light chicken ramen can get. A clear broth with hints of umami. Very refined. Noodles made in house really stand out. Firm and wheaty.



The homemade rayu hot oil was a nice addition, but be careful, it can overpower the subtle umami of this one.



Crushed it! These are the perfect bowls for cold days. To me, it feels like mom's chicken soup kicked up with something extra.

I enjoyed this one, but it didn't make the TV show's Top 7, which were the only ones to make it on air. They said they interviewed 1000 people to make the list.

For your info, here it is. Do you agree?

1. やまぐち - Yamaguchi
2. 渡なべ - Watanabe
3. 焼麺 劔 - Tsurugi
4. 蔭山 - Kageyama
5. 俺の空 - Orenosora
6. 表裏 - Hyori
7. 鷹流 - Takaryu

Apparently this famous person came for a bowl at Sanpoichi as well.

東京都新宿区高田馬場2-14-9
Tokyo, Shinjuku-ku, Takadanobaba 2-14-9
Closest station: Takadanobaba

Open 11:00-15:00, 18:00-23:30

タンタンタイガー (Tantan Tiger in Asakusa)

タンタンタイガー



Anytime I hear of a new soupless tantanmen spot, I get excited. I love that hit of spice and sansho, Chinese numbing pepper. The more the better!



I learned a lesson today. More isn't always better. When the master asked the levels of spice, I went normal. As for the numbing pepper, I went 大. I went big.

It wasn't until my third or fourth bite that I actually read the info sheet (more of a warning sheet). For the 辛さ, the spiciness, the middle is the shop's standard, and recommended for normal people. I can attest, it was just right. But the 痺れ, numbing level, has a different suggestions. For first timers, go 小, go small. If you like bitter, go normal. If you are a bit crazy, go big.



So yeah, this one was way over-spiced, a folly that was completely my fault. I powered through, but didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. Those pre-shock bites, the first, second, and third, were great.



Tantan Tiger has a selection of side veggies; avocado, tomato, and cilantro among others.



A lovely onsen tamago helped the heat a bit.



I was with the staff of MOTO NAVI magazine, and as they were featuring me in their magazine, I had to save face and finish the entire bowl. The good thing about sansho is that it doesn't linger.

So yeah, I recommend this one, but go medium or less on the spice.

東京都台東区鳥越2-2-1
Tokyo, Taito-ku, Toritoge 2-2-1
3 minute walk from Kuramae Station

Open 11:00-15:00, 17:00-22:00
Closed Saturday

勝本 (Katsumoto in Jimbocho)

神田 勝本



Jimbocho has never been lacking in terms of ramen, so when a new shop comes in, they had better bring their A game.



I found out about this shop from one of the annual Tokyo ramen magazines. Katsumoto was giving a fairly high ranking in the field of rookie shops for the category of tsukemen with a clear soup. Yes, that is very specific. You should take these rankings with a grain of salt, as the field can be quite sparse. Although many ramen shops open and close in Tokyo every year, the number in each category can be small.



I'm not a huge fan of lighter tsukemen, but the bowl here has something special.



Two kinds of noodles. Thick, and thin.



All in all, having two kinds of noodles was a gimmick to me, and it meant that, though I liked one more, I also liked one less. The thinner of the lot paled next to the thick, chewy noodles in the back.

東京都千代田区猿楽町1-2-4
Tokyo, Chioda-ku, Sarugakucho 1-2-4
Closest station: Jimbocho

Open 11:00-17:00
Closed Sundays

佐市 (Saichi in Hatagaya)

麺や 佐市



Oyster ramen! And not just some random bowl with an oyster topping. This new shop cooks their soup with the shellfish, pulling out the maximum umami that these little guys hold.



You might as well get a side of oyster snacks while you wait.



Very interesting bowl. Personally, I love it, but could see some people not being into this oyster ramen.



The soup is liquid oyster gold. Almost like drinking concentrated extract. I'd like to hear the opinion of one of my oyster nerd friends. The soup is free of chemical seasoning, something I always like to see. Almost all ramen shops in Japan rely on a pinch of Ajinomoto, pure MSG, for that extra bit of umami. Here, that strong oyster flavor comes packed with plenty of natural MSG. Nothing more needed.



Although this shop has failed to become very popular, I think it is at least worth a try.

東京都渋谷区幡ヶ谷2-6-7
Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Hatagaya 2-6-7
Closest station: Hatagaya

Hours aren't official yet, but it looks like 11:30am until midnight.

篠はら (Shinohara in Ikebukuro)

麺処 篠はら



I met up with famous Ramen YouTuber SusuruTV for a collaboration video. You can view it here:

https://youtu.be/cCIJxmacFt0

Well, the dude is, at heart, a ramen nerd, and we immediately went to crush another bowl.



Shinohara comes from the Honda group, a group that has been churning out a lot of Tokyo talent. New school refined is a good way to describe their styles. Choice ingredients, and lots of them. Chicken, beef, pork, and fish heads all go into the soup. The tare seasoning uses craft soy sauce from Ohitachi (お常陸), out of Ibaraki Prefecture.

Rich, but not overly salty, with a complex umami aftertaste. My kind of bowl.



The entire menu looks great. Top row is the shoyu, which I had. Probably your best bet for the first time. Below that is a lighter dashi bowl. And in orange a bowl made with tai fish.  Add to that a constant rotation of limited bowls and rice bowls, and you've got a place I wouldn't mind coming back to.



I had to rush off to a TV shoot for another two bowls, so I'm thankful that the noodles at Shinohara were on the lighter, easy-to-slurp side.

Official site here.

東京都豊島区池袋3-1-4
Tokyo, Toshima-ku, Ikubukuro 3-1-4
13 minute walk from Ikebukuro Station

Open 11:30-14:30, 18:00-21:00
Closed Wednesdays

Limited Bonito Ramen at the Fermentation Future Forum

F3



Well, this was random.



That's Namae-san, the chef over at L'Effervescence. If you've never heard of this restaurant, I'll give you a teaser. Number 12 in Asia. Two Michelin stars. Tabelog Gold status. In other words, fine dining.

I've been to L'Effervescence for lunch before, and it was a delight. But even their cheapest option is quite pricey, and out of the price range of anyone looking for a casual slurp.

So when Namae-san did a quick pop-up at a fermentation festival in Tokyo, I was first in line.



Katsuo, blocks of skipjack tuna smocked dry into flavorful umami rocks. Shave them down; a little goes a long way. Different levels were used for different purposes, and some of the best were shaved fresh onto the top of the ramen.



The soup is hit with homemade sour cream, another level of fermentation umami.

All in all, an interesting one-off bowl. I'd probably never go for this again, but I was happy to try ramen from such an accomplished chef.



Official festival site here.
L'Effervescence site here.

This was at the farmer's market at UNU in Omotesando, which is open weekends from 10am-4pm.