Ramen Adventures

Saturday, February 25, 2012

紬麦 (Tsumugi in Akihabara)

らーめん紬麦

What happened to Akihabara? A veritable wasteland for ramen in the past, suddenly it seems like every shop I hit there is a winner. The otaku, with their voracious appetite for cute girls in high school uniforms (2-D of course), as well as an equal appetite for grease and carbs . . . could they be developing a taste for variety?

Finding Tsumugi was tough. Be sure to go out the Showa-dori exit (昭和通り口) and you will be headed in the right direction. Akihabara is shiny and confusing. I spent a few minutes on the wrong side, until a nice girl in a maid outfit pointed me in the right direction.

The shop is in a basement of a bank building, by the way.

Tsumugi's best point are the noodles.

さぬきの夢, the dream of Sanuki, can be seen throughout the shop. Turns out that those excellent noodles are 100% Sanuki flour.

Sanuki, referring to the old name of Kagawa Prefecture, is home to some of the best wheat in Japan. The relatively mild climate along the Seto inland sea is ideal for the production, and the local cuisine reflects this. Of course, 99.9% of Sanuki flour goes into making Sanuki udon.

If you have never had really good udon from Shikoku, you are missing out.

The rest of the bowl works for me. You have 3 choices, the shoyu, the shio, and the tsumugi. The tsumugi is a bit on the sweet and spicy side. Sweet from the abundance of sliced spring onion, and spicy from the addition of both spicy rayu and flavorful sesame oil. Needless to say, there are a lot of flavors for the noodles to grab on to.

Official Site Here

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東京都千代田区神田平河町1番地第三東ビル地下1F
Tokyo, Chioda-ku, Kanda Hirakawacho 1, Mitsui Bank Building Basement
Closest station: Akihabara

Open 11:30-14:15, 18:00-20:00
Saturday 11:30-16:00
Closed Sundays and on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month

Friday, February 24, 2012

紅 (KURENAI in Chofu)

麺創研かなで紅

Yes, this ramen shop is hot. Hot in the spicy sense, and hot in the good-and-popular sense.

The gorgeous wood paneling is a bit out of place in the not-so-gorgeous alley. You'll likely pass a few other ramen shops on the way; dingy places that match better with the surroundings. Kurenai is open late, so you really have no excuse to visit the others.

Three types of miso ramen are on the menu. The standard is a 3-star red bowl. Drop down to the 1-star if you fear heat. Jump up to 5 if you love it. Apparently I love it.

You might think that something is wrong with your noodles. Big ones mixed with thin ones. Mixed with even bigger ones. And smaller ones. It's downright confusing.

The homemade noodles come in 7 sizes. In what would often be considered a noodle no-no, all these sizes are thrown together in the pot. The result is a bit firm and a bit soft with every bite.

The heat of the 鬼紅, devil red, was intense. As expected, I received a warning when handing in the ticket. I also received some laughs as I drank 2 pitchers of water throughout the meal. But I finished every last noodle, every last bit of meat, every last vegetable.

Of which there was a lot. Kurenai prides itself on a massive volume of meat and vegetables (cabbage mostly). A menu option of double meat and double vegetables will yield a bowl with over half a kilo of toppings.

As an afterthought, the devil red was a bit much for me. The spices are choice, high-quality peppers, and the simple red, sans the devil, would be just enough to enjoy the balance. Go for the double meat and vegetables as well, you only live once.

Official Site Here

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東京都府中市宮町1-12-9
Tokyo, Fuchu-shi, Miyacho 1-12-9
Closest station: Fuchu

Open 11:30-25:00

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

さいころ (Saikoro in Nakano)

肉煮干し中華そばさいころ

The dice in the windows are a sure bet that you're at Saikoro, a short walk from Nakano station.

But the massive neon reads Jiraigen. What's up with that? I remember a trip a few years ago to Jiraigen, a solid shoyu with too much chicken oil in the soup for my tastes.

Turns out they closed up shop, moved a mile away, and extended their hours. Saikoro is Jiraigen, down to the rich broth and chicken oil.

The atmosphere is great. Dubbed Japanese "soul" noodles, reminiscent of a 50's diner, playing loud hip-hop on the stereo, and featuring lock-haired young locals, this is a nabe pot full of modern culture. With excellent noodles.

If I didn't dislike chicken oil, I would be a regular here. That stuff just seems to coat my stomach. Two out of three people would disagree with me on this point. That's why I can reluctantly add this to my ever-growing list of recommendations.