麺庵 ちとせ Chitose: kind hearts and coronets

The weather was chilly at the end of March, but that's not enough to prevent us from getting to a shop early and getting the first round of seating. Akebonobashi is becoming a small ramen district, and Chitose is about a 5-10 minute walk from the station. While we were in line, an old guy asked us if we the ramen shop was famous. We just him it was our first time there and heard good things, and the old guy thanked us and walked away.

This was a particularly icy morning and we wanted to eat immediately. As soon as entered, one of the staff said to all the customers, "Thank you very much for waiting in the cold weather." He kept repeating that whenever a customer would come into the shop. This sort of consideration touched my heart.

Ajitama ramen (850yen)

The ramen touched our hearts as well. There is a lot of care in this bowl, with many distinctive ingredients providing the perfect harmony for a very tender shoyu ramen. The flat noodles are made of flour flown in from Hokkaido, the tare is composed of five types of soy sauce, and various other ingredients are locally sourced, including fruits, seaweed, scallops, and free-range chickens.

Chitose also has a frequently changing gentei, "limited-time" menu. This month, the featured bowl was a tantanmen that wasn't much to look at, but was different from the normal salty-sweet bowls in that it really emphasized the shoyu ramen base. This was like a tantan shoyu ramen, with the shoyu notes being accented with sesame nuttiness and just the right amount of chili oil and numbing pepper spice. We slurped till the last drop and told the staff we would be back for sure.

Tantanmen (850yen)

On our way out, we saw the old guy waiting in line with his coworker. Hearts told him, "Really good!" And it was. I believe that having a gentle heart creates good things that connect our spirits and lead to success.

Tokyo, Shinjuku-ku, Ichigayadaimachi 18-5
Closest stn: Akebonobashi

Open from 1130am-330pm (closed Saturdays)

Lum