どっかん (Dokkan in Hatagaya)

どっかん



The once-a-week shop in Hattagaya just opened a second branch. The new Dokkan is Dokkan all the time.

Explanation. One of my favorite shops in Tokyo is actually three shops. On Mondays, it becomes Dokkan, a rich shoyu soup topped with mounds of seabura. Pork fat. Tuesday to Friday the shops is called Gamushara, serving a ginger heavy shoyu ramen. On the weekends, Yahiko serves miso tsukemen and ramen.

I as ecstatic when Dokkan, my favorite of the three, would open as a second shop just down the road.



The menu looks to be exactly the same.



How much seabura do you want? Yes, this is pork back fat, which sounds better if you just keep to the Japanese word. Seabura is silky and rich. Go for the 鬼あぶ - devil's size -  if you are in the mood.



They've only been open for a week, which is why I'll forgive them for something being off. It was still good, and I will probably go here anytime I am drinking in the neighborhood, but the impact of the original just wasn't there.



Or maybe it was that I was there for lunch, when the original Dokkan was strictly a late night spot for me.

By the way, this spot is the former location of Sejiken, which I think might be the worst ramen I ever had in my life.




東京都渋谷区幡ヶ谷2-19-2
Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Hattagaya 2-19-2
Closest station: Hattagaya

Open 11:30-14:30, 18:30-24:00
Closed Wednesdays

Ramen Adventures TV Spot! - 知っとこ

知っとこ



"Wa-su-a-pu?"

Satomi Shigemori's character is cute and clueless. A well-known idol / talent / bikini model, if you watch TV with any regularity in Japan you should see her face pop up. As always, we took her around to some ramen shops. This time was a double dose of ramen-loving foreigners, with Abram and I hitting up both Fuunji and Gamushara.



Why these two shops? They are both walking distance to our apartments, and they are both legit. That's why!



Our best 3?

• Matador for the beef based ramen
• Kikanbo for their spice
• Fuunji for the creamy chicken gyokai tsukemen.

Fun shoot, and I got recognized the day after it aired by the bar I was drinking at. Why the late-night crowd was up at 7am watching TV, I have no idea.

2013 Grand Tsukemen Fest List Announced!

Congratulations to the winners of the 2013 Grand Tsukemen Fest preliminary voting. The winners are from all over the country, so I haven't been to most of their shops. Stay tuned for a lot more info, but for now . . .

Are you hungry?



These are the 24 that you can sample at this years Grand Tsukemen Fest in Tokyo!