みそ味専門マタドール(Matador Miso in Kita-Senju)

みそ味専門マタドール

Matador, the beef-only ramen out in East Tokyo's Kita-Senju district, is universally lauded as one of Tokyo's best bowls. No one else has succeeded so much with only beef bones. While other shops have tried, their soup ends up being too sweet, or too funky, or just plain bad.

So when the master decided to expand to a second shop, we were all a bit surprised at the choice. Instead of another beef-centric style, maybe a tsukemen or a mazesoba, he went with miso.

Miso! Miso is the one type that has more utter disappointments than successes in Japan. It is also the type that I hate reviewing the most. Why? Because most people love the average bowl. And when you criticize something people love, people stop inviting you out.

Obviously there were high expectations here.

And Matador's miso delivered. The secret blend of misos (shhhh, it is white miso from Kyoto and red miso from Nagano) are just the beginning. Of course, the eye immediately sees that meat; a massive piece of roasted beef rib chashu (aha! they did put some beef in this one). Underneath the beef is a silky chunk of prime fat. The master, Iwata-san, explained that you should immediately exhale after eating this piece. The creamy, fatty フーーーー of you breath is more sensation than taste.




But wait, there's more. Also on the menu is a shoyu-koji ramen. Koji had a bit of a boom last year, and was gone before you could wikipedia what it was. A fermented blend of rice and shoyu, it fits with the miso theme. The taste is almost miso-light.

Nice shop, too. A basement floor has enough seating to keep the lines shorter than they could be.



Check out the video I made!

東京都足立区千住旭町43-13
Tokyo, Adachi-ku, Senjuashicho 43-13
Closest station: Kita-Senju

Open 11:30-15:00, 18:00-22:30
Sundays 11:30-16:00

GACHI 油そば (GACHI Aburasoba in Akebonobashi)

GACHI 油そば



I like when successful shops open another branch. I like it even more when each new branch is a totally different concept. Shono, an awesome tonkotsu place just east of Shinjuku, gave way to Gachi, a fried-chicken-tsukemen spot in the middle of Shinjuku's gay-bar neighborhood. Next came Gotsubo, a tiny shop serving vege-centric noodles, next to Shinjuku's famous park. The latest, Gachi Aburasoba, goes with nothing but soupless noodles. Yes, in Shinjuku.



I live in Shinjuku, which made the wheelchair commute less painful than it could have been.



The concept of aburasoba is simple. Just leave out the soup, add a little extra tare seasoning sauce, and make sure there is plenty of high quality abura, fat, to bring the dish together.



Aburasoba can be hit or miss. Without the soup, the noodles need to be extra special. The larger aburasoba chain shops in Tokyo source their noodles from a factory. Not good.

Gachi makes theirs in the back. The thick ones, futomen, are outstanding. The noodle chef bills them as nama-pasta-chuka; fresh pasta Chinese style. Some of the best I've had.



And the oils. 太白胡麻油, sesame oil, and 亜麻仁油, flax seed oil, are both healthy and delicate. Not something you see much at ramen shops.



Add on a dollop of homemade seabura, pork back fat, and mix away.



Also on hand was a thin noodle version. Not bad, but it paled in comparison with those thick ones. Some of the best in town.



They opened on October 1st, so check it out if you have time for lunch in Shinjuku.

Check out my video for GACHI Aburasoba!







新宿区住吉町７－１０
Shinjuku, Sumiyoshicho 7-10
Closest station: Akebonobashi

Open 11:00-16:00

永福町大勝軒のお土産(Efukucho Taishoken Gift Pack)

永福町大勝軒のお土産



How ironic. The site of my recent motorcycle accident was only a minute from one of the best ramen shops in Japan, Taishoken. Fitting that a good friend would show up at my apartment with one of their famous gift packs.

These gift packs are unique. Instead of a manufactured soup, something made to resemble the original, Taishoken fills a big jar straight from the same pot the in-store customers dine from. Along with fresh noodles and a pack of their special menma, this is about as close to the real thing as you can get.



The soup, even when frozen, smelled fantastic. All that niboshi fishiness, with a hint of yuzu citrus. Fantastic.

And for someone stuck in a wheelchair on a 4th floor walk-up apartment, this was definitely something I needed.



To be honest, the noodles didn't come out so great. This is most likely due to human error. The Ramen Adventure's kitchen isn't a place for cooking ramen. The timing, as well as the amount of time it takes me to get from the kitchen to the table, wasn't ideal. So I dumped some white rice in left over soup. Good stuff!

Kiss me once, kiss me twice, give me niboshi-pork-chicken soup with rice!

If you live in Japan, you can order online here, and have a bowl in the next couple of days. How cool is that!