十兵衛 (Jube in Sugamo)

十兵衛

I have a new GPS navigation system for my motorcycle, and it features a ramen database hidden deep within the Japanese menu. It also has an extremely short battery life, so my navi guided ramen adventures will have to wait until I can wire it up properly. Disheartened, I returned to Sengoku, the district in Tokyo where I live.

Jube is a few minutes walk for me, and I had always wanted to try it out. Unfortunately, the excellent Sengoku Jiman is within stone's throw, and I always end up there.

Jube is a straight forward tonkotsu. Creamy soup. Thin noodles. Normal, but excellent.

Sengoku is not a well known area, but it's great to know that I have about 5 excellent shops in sight of where I sleep. With a bicycle, that number increases ten fold. With the train, it's countless.

More Shop Info Here

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無尽蔵 (Mujinzo in Hanno)

無尽蔵

After a bit of a flower adventure,

I asked my friend, who lives in the countryside city of Hanno, where the best ramen in town is. A survey of a few options led to Mujinzo, which means never ending supply. The spot was known, to my friend, as the shop she really wanted to go to all the time but was always closed when she arrived.

So of course they were still prepping when we arrived.

Luckily, this view only had to be dealt with for about 15 minutes.

No, the never ending supply ramen isn't an all you can eat noodle fest, but rather a fish heavy soup, with a lot of good Hokkaido kelp in the mix.

Usually, this type of soup goes great with tsukemen, but tends to be a bit thick for regular ramen.

Not the case at Mujinzo. The soup was just thin enough to be drunk to the bottom. Although the fish was the main attraction, lots of vegetables and even some yuzu citrus are in the mix here. Very nice.

As I didn't have to teach after my bowl, I loaded this ramen with fried garlic chips and some vinegar.

It's always good to know that even an hour out of the city, there are some great shops.

Official Site Here

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インフィニのヤサイカライ (Spicy Vegetable at Infinitus Zero in Shinagawa)

インフィニ

I had to return to Infinitus Zero, this time to try out their signature dish, Yasai Karai.

The dollop of homemade spice mix...

Sits nicely with some vegetables.

Infinitus is all about the tare, which is a bit sweet from being made with beef bones. Imagine a nice, thick stew and you're on the right track.

This place would be even better if it wasn't out in Nakanobu. There's not a lot going on there, and unless you have business there (I teach nearby once a week) you might not find it so convenient.