空 (Kuu in Ningyocho)

香麺処 空



Ku is interesting to say the least.



For the menu, it's simple. A row of shio ramen and a row of shoyu ramen. Other rows, marked with the "x" of unavailability, hint at some kinds of limited bowls. This is standard at many shops in Tokyo.



But the ramen here is anything but typical. Served in a ceramic bowl with lid to hold the secrets inside.



It all sounds a bit melodramatic. In reality, it's just an aroma foam. The idea of sealing in aroma is nothing new; the 5th branch of Keisuke does a smoke, and gotsubo in Shinjuku has foam on their ramen as well.



The foam at Ku has hints of citrus and yuzu. It's a fun concept, but seems like a lot of effort. The fried lotus root and various kinds of onion give even more aroma. Tokyo's number one aroma bowl?



In the evening, Ku serves Japanese sake for 500 yen a glass, and nihonshu fans can come to sample a variety of drinks.





東京都中央区日本橋人形町3-7-13
Tokyo, Chuo-ku, Nihonbashiningyocho 3-7-13
Closest station: Ningyocho

Open Monday and Tuesday 11:150-15:00, 17:00-21:30
Wednesday - Sunday 11:15-15:00

Mannish in Kanda

塩生姜らー麺専門店 MANNISH



How is anyone supposed to know about this place? First of all, the A4-sized sign is almost impossible to see among the wall of other restaurant signs on this nondescript corner of Kanda. Second of all, the stairwell down to the shop is dark and scary, making you think some odd beast lurks below.



A ginger beast!

Well, if you brave the unknown, you'll find a tiny bar that doubles as a ramen shop for a few hours a day during the lunch service.



The ramen here, and there is only style, is shio shoga, salt and ginger.

The ginger is something special. きなしょうが, kinashoga, from Kumamoto Prefecture. Ginger is notoriously an environmentally unfriendly crop. Chemical fertilizer works very well with this root, and a little bit chemistry yields a much greater crop. My father, who lives in Hawaii next to a ginger farm, says he will never eat the stuff again after seeing how it is produced.

Kinashoga, on the other hand, is grown naturally, by a farmer who has specialized in ginger for half a century. The color is more vivid, and the taste is much more pronounced. It's essentially super-ginger.



One bowl of super ginger shio ramen please.

The soup base is light, so essentially this is one for ginger lovers. You'll taste ginger in every slurp. Tender chicken thigh, also lightly flavored, adds some meaty texture.



Welcome to ginger world. One of Tokyo's secret bowls.





東京都千代田区内神田1-9-10
Tokyo, Chioda-ku, Uchikanda 1-9-10
Closest station: Kanda

Open 11:00-16:00
Closed Sundays

福寿 (Fukuju in Sasazuka)

福寿



It doesn't get more classic than Fukuju. This chukasoba shop opened in 1951, and has been a local legend every since.



Here I am with some ramen friends for an official photo shoot for Morimoto-san's DMM lounge. Basically an online member's site for ramen nerds. It's all in Japanese, but if you want to join, check it out here.



What can I say about Fukuju. Bowls of ramen are just 500 yen for the no-frills, and only slightly more for one with extra toppings.



But it is so much more than just a good-priced showa-era bowl. The master, Kobayashi-san (小林さん), is a local legend. The shop looks like a combination of a well-lived-in apartment and kitchen. Noodles are cooked in a giant wok over stone hearth that, though is looks positively ancient, efficiently cooks up noodles. It runs on kerosene (石油ストーブ), and can get very hot very fast.

A gyoza fryer mysteriously exists, but I couldn't find any evidence of the last time those were a menu item. Stick with the ramen.



Kobayashi-san opens his shop for about five hours a day, longer on weekends, though he has been known to randomly operate as he pleases. I'm not sure how old he is (I didn't ask), but there are some photos of him on the wall from the middle of last century . . . so do the math.



Sasazuka is a nice little neighborhood just outside of Shinjuku. Worth a walk if you have the time.



日本一





東京都渋谷区笹塚3-19-1
Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Sasazuka 3-19-1
Closest station: Sasazuka

Open 15:30-21:00
Saturday 13:30-21:00
Sunday 12:00-21:00
Closed Tuesdays

A note, this shop kind of opens whenever the master feels like it.