味処 むさし野
Three years ago I started on a journey to eat at all 50 shops on the Tabelog best-of list. Most were easy to slurp, but those in the countryside alluded me. Now, a few years later, I get to scratch off number 48.
Musashino is near-ish to Matsudo. Go ahead and take the 20-minute walk out of town to this retro shop.
The chairs are made from reclaimed temple wood. Complete with ancient termite marks. Like I said . . . retro.
The ramen? Hot damn. I'm sure your eyes immediately went to the side. That is their seasonal rice bowl. For only 300 yen it was raw scallop, whitebait, stewed pumpkin, and some greens on rice. A steal!
The ramen is simple and classic.
Homemade noodles are pressed flat and crinkled up with a lot of bite.
Eggcelent? I won't go there.
Shio, shoyu, tsukemen, and a spicy sesame bowl are on offer.
Worthy of a top 50 list.
It's a little bit of a schlep from Tokyo so only serious ramen nerds will make it out here.
It was great to come a little closer to finishing my list. The last two shops (らーめん工房 龍 - Ryu and 南京ラーメン 黒門 - Kuromon) are both within 20 minutes of each other by car (or bike) but in a seriously inconvenient part of Kyushu. Someday, though, someday.
