九秀 (Kushu in Hatagaya)

麺屋 九秀

How I ended up here, I can't say for sure.

A lone photo of a wine glass sitting atop a ramen shop flyer is the only clue.

It was late, and we had been drinking at a few spots around Hatagaya. Ramen is a natural hangover prevention tactic, and I'm sure no one in the group gave any protest. It's also a hangover cure. A panacea for all occasions.

The shop is in a hip neighborhood, and you just might meet a tattooed ramen-fan baby. Maybe.

One would assume that a shop named Kushu would be in the style of Kyushu, a rich tonkotsu soup. And that's what it was. A fatty bowl for the late night crowd.

99.9% of the time that I'm in this part of town, Dokkan is the bowl of choice. It still is, but it's nice to know that there are options.

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東京都渋谷区幡ヶ谷1-5-6 金井ビル1階
Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Hatagaya 1-5-6
Closest station: Hatagaya

Open 11:30-1:00am

実之和 (Minowa in Roppongi)

かれー麺 実之和

After meeting with my lawyer (long story) I opened the checklist of ramen shops and happened to be not too far from Minowa.

The odd, midday hour left the popular ramen shop almost completely empty. I assume, since ramen is a bit of a rarity in the Roppongi area, that this shop picks up late at night. Apparently they are open until sunrise. There is an extensive alcohol menu that backs up my theory.

Asskicking hot? Against my better judgement I went with the spiciest thing on the menu.

And, yes, it was brutal.

This was a tough bowl to get through. Admittedly, I only got about 2/3 of the way. The sheer amount of capsaicin is enough to flavor 50 bowls of tantanmen. But as the temperature cools, and the body adapts, this turned out to be a tasty bowl indeed. As for the flavor, I guess pork and fire are the best words. Nothing subtle was able to make it past the heat. Any hints of fish or obscure vegetables were lost in fiery translation.

They do have a regular version as well.

My list of ramen shops is sometimes a mystery. I couldn't recall why I had jotted down Minowa in my Tokyo street atlas. Later I remembered an old youtube video I had seen about the hottest ramen in Tokyo. Sure enough, Minowa makes a spot about 7 minutes in.

When a TV show in Japan films people eating ramen, they are required to give an overreaction. You won't be screaming for mercy, but will feel the heat. Be warned. When you make a challenge of eating, the enjoyment is often lost.

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東京都港区六本木 3-13-8
Tokyo, Minato-ku, Roppongi 3-13-8
Closest station: Roppongi

Open 11:00-31:00 (I guess that means 7am)
Sundays 18:00-23:30

中村屋 (Nakamuraya in Ebina)

中村屋

A legendary shop, many miles from Tokyo.

Although Nakamuraya's ramen is available closer to central Tokyo at the West Park Cafe, visiting the main shop was on my list. Not just to try the ramen, but to meet the shop's newest member. It's Keizo! After 6 months at Ivan Ramen, and a year at Bassanova, he has stepped into another ramen position. You can read about his daily life over at goramen.

The #1 seller these days is the yuzu shio, a light salt ramen with some fresh yuzu citrus grated in.

The shop's signature shake. The cooked noodles should be as free of water as possible, for the taste. But equally important is the showmanship involved.

What to say that the picture doesn't? This bowl is superb. The pork is flame roasted, the noodles done just right, and the extras, like the hint of yuzu, just adds to it all.

The shio was some of the best I've ever had. I didn't have a chance to try the shoyu ramen, and if a history of hundreds of bowls has taught me anything, it's that I always like a shop's shoyu more than the shio.

If the light bowl was too little, there are some sides, such as chashu rice bowl with ponzu sauce.

Official Site (Japanese)

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神奈川県海老名市中央2-5-41 サティー立体駐車場1F
Kanagawa-ken, Ebina-shi, Chuo 2-5-41
(across from the WB movie theater)
Closest station: Ebina

Open 11:00-14:00, 18:00-21:00
Weekends 11:00-15:00, 17:30-21:00
Closed Wednesdays