むつみ屋 東京ラーメンストリー (Mutsumiya at the Tokyo Ramen Street)

むつみ屋 東京ラーメンストリー

The last time I went to Mutsumiya, on the Tokyo Station Ramen Street, I enjoyed the bowl, but wasn't blown away. Maybe a second chance is in order. Well, I was in the mood for miso, and had forgotten my usual stack of ramen literature, so it seemed like a good choice.

Somehow I really enjoyed it this time around. Maybe it was the limited edition gyoza.

Definitely on the more unusual side of collaborations. This actor, Sho Aikawa, looked familiar, bit it wasn't until I got home that I realized what a fan I am of his. You see, he's been in a number of Takahashi Miike movies, of which I've seen many. Not for the faint of heart, these films deal with Yakuza and ultraviolence. Memories of Rainy Dogs and Fudoh, and of course the Dead or Alive Trilogy. But this mashup between performer and ramen shop is actually to promote one I haven't seen; Zebraman.

Did I mention that Miike's movies are a bit strange?

Either way, the gyoza was delicious.

My Original Visit Here

naginicai (Snacks at Nagi Nicai)

Homemade gyoza topped with ratatouille sauce.

Fried ramen with cheese topping.

And a preview of an unreleased ramen magazine.

Just a typical day at Nagi Nicai.

麺屋武蔵 (Menya Musashi in Akihabara)

麺屋武蔵

It had been a while since I visited Akihabara, the electronics district of Tokyo. My time spent there this week was more of a cable adventure than a ramen adventure. The purchase of a new TV meant a new a coaxial antennae cable. That was trip #1. Trip #2 was for long VGA and audio cables to attach my computer to the big screen. The 3rd trip was for another audio cable, since I purchased the wrong one during trip #2. But I wasn't done.

Lucky for me, I didn't have to go out of my way, as my Friday student wanted a bowl. The newest Menya Musashi just happens to be in Akihabara.

Named after Musashi Miyamoto, each Musashi shop, much like each of the famous swordsman's battles, is different. And, as said battles, each bowl is a little unconventional.

Like a 1608 victory with a piece of kindling.

Or his frequent use of his short sword as a thrown weapon.

This shop features Ganryujima ramen, named after, what else, a famous Musashi battle. In this battle, Musashi fought (and won) with a wooden oar.

It's a deep, strong shoyu, topped with bean sprouts and garlic. You can ask for it with a double or triple size stack, but I just went with normal.

The shop is actually more famous for the tsukemen.

After lunch, I took care of my shopping list: a coaxial splitter and an audio cable splitter.

And when I got home, as expected, the cable was the wrong size.

Official Site Here

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