麺や ひだまり Hidamari: the town

My first trip to Sendagi was when I was a college student. I went there to take my resume photo for job hunting at a small photo studio. I really hate the memory of job hunting right after the economic recession, so I always associate Sendagi with seeming like a boring part of town.

Wafu shio ramen with egg (820yen)

Hidamari, which translates to "sunshine," is about a five minute walk from the station. It's also one of our favorite slice of life anime from Shaft, but that's neither here nor there. We avoided the lunch rush, but all the seats were still occupied. While we were waiting, we could check out the shop's menu (written in English and Japanese).

Behind the shop, some niboshi (bonito) were drying in the sun. If I was a cat, I would definitely steal them.

The shop's interior is full of wood furniture and relaxing jazz music. The owner apparently learned his trade at Sou, one of our favorite shio ramen shops, so I went with the shio. Hearts got the shoyu. 

Shoyu ramen with egg (820yen)

The noodles are silky, soft, and are made of 100% wheat flour. Both bowls have a lot of chicken umami. On your first visit, I recommend you try the shio.

These aren't heavy bowls at all, and the noodles are a bit more tender than usual, perhaps to cater to the older population in the area. Sendagi isn't so bad; the local shopping street has a cafe, steak house, bakery, tea shop, izakaya, and some good ramen. It's a good area to explore in a peaceful mood.

Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Sendagi 3-43-9
Closest stn: Sendagi

Open from 1130am-1030pm (closed from 3-6pm on weekdays)

Lum

かおたんラーメンえんとつ屋 南青山店 Kaotan Ramen: the dark shack

I can't believe I never tried Kaotan sooner, especially during my days working in Roppongi.

Ramen (700yen)

Make sure you go to the Minami-Aoyama shop, and not the one in Akasaka that doesn't have half the charm of this place. This little shack looks like it's ready to crumble. The inside is like a packrat's den transformed into makeshift izakaya, the long communal table lined with salarymen eating ramen and throwing back glasses of beer and oolong-hais. You go for the atmosphere as much as the food.

The food is also pretty good. A classic shoyu with chicken oil, topped with fried scallions to bring out the umami. Nothing fancy about this bowl, just a great example of chukasoba done right and priced affordably for everyday slurping. The staple "green" here is supplied by sugar peas, a regular ingredient in Chinese stir-fry and a nice signature for the shop considering it also serves up a lot of Chinese side dishes (including gyoza, of course).

I wish I knew about this place three years ago. It would have saved me many a trip to seedy kebab joints early in the morning.

Tokyo, Minato-ku, Minami-Aoyama 2-34-30
Closest stn: Nogizaka

Open from 1130am-5am (closed Sundays)

Hearts

らぁめん ほりうち Horiuchi: gooble gobble

If you're starving around Shinjuku, ramen can save your life! Horiuchi is one of the best options.

Ramen (800yen)

Don't get confused by the shop just a couple storefronts down called Manrai. The owner of Horiuchi used to work at Manrai, but left to open his own shop after the original owner of Manrai retired and the building was subsequently torn down and rebuilt (and the original shop was reopened with a second owner). While we were waiting in line, a lot of salarymen were entering, slurping quickly, bumping elbows on the tightly packed counter, and leaving one after the other. The staff here is briskly efficient and knows how to quickly turn over a lunch counter. We got seated quickly.

We were surprised at the giant chashu and the noodles which seemed to run off the edge of the bowl. The standard ramen betrays its heritage and looks pretty much the same as Manrai. It's difficult to say which place is better. For me, the chewiness and smoothness of the noodles at Horiuchi made the biggest impression, like eating inaniwa udon from Akita prefecture. This is a heavy bowl, but the noodles are so silky that you can't stop slurping.

Zaru chashumen (1150yen)

Hearts got the chashu tsukemen, which is called zaru here. The portion of noodles is huge, covered in dried nori. The soup is a little different from the ramen, saltier, a little sour, and containing a lot of ground red pepper. I think I'd crave this bowl in the summer because I could feel like I'm eating zaru soba, but still have that heavier ramen flavor.

For an extra 300 yen, you get a whopping pile of pork. As you can see, there's a lot of meat.

If you want to gobble high quality, old school shoyu ramen in a peaceful atmosphere surrounded by determined salarymen, Horiuchi is a little haven in bustling Shinjuku.

Tokyo, Shinjuku-ku, Nishi-Shinjuku 1-4-7
Closest stn: Shinjuku

Open from 11am-9pm (closed Sundays)

Lum

麺屋 六感堂 RockanDo: how green was my valley

Ramen battleground Ikebukuro has been changing over the past several years. Before, many shops served rich and creamy bowls, but recently more ramen chefs are creating bowls with distinctive flavors or concepts. RockanDo is one of them. Don't be fooled by the meat-intensive restaurant next door which often has a line outside and wafts delicious smells out the door towards passersby.

Yuzu mitsuba shio green-men (800yen)

The unique noodles here contain euglena, a bright green, protein-rich, algae type food. Of course, the color of the handmade noodles is green as well, fitting for their trademark "green shio ramen." This one is topped with mitsuba and yuzu for an extra-healthy kick. The noodles are thin but al dente. And refreshing. You might feel your tongue turning green after every bite. The smell is reminiscent of macha green tea (which the shop stocks in abundance), and nicely matches with the shio bowls. The soup is very simple and light, but also tender and a little sweet.

Lum got the shoyu.

Shoyu with ajitama (850yen)

At the bottom of every bowl are the fulfilling kanji kansha (感謝), which means "appreciation" but also thank you (ありがとうございます).

Besides the ramen, the entire interior is unified by hints of green. The waiting bench, water jars, salt and pepper bins, even the towels in the restroom are green. I like this idea of a "green theme," and I hope more shops expand on this kind of sensual concept, rather than just solely on ingredients.

Of course, RockanDo experiments with those too.

We went for a special event and were served a fantastic uni and caviar mazemen, with a light but umami-rich oyster-dashi dipping broth.

One of the best seasonal bowls we've ever had, from one of the great new shops on the Ikebukuro scene.

Tokyo, Toshima-ku, Higashi-Ikebukuro 2-57-2
Closest stn: Ikebukuro

Open from 11am-9pm

Lum

塩元帥 Shiogensui: the natural

Spending a little time in Osaka before heading back to Tokyo, we wanted to try out one of the most recognized shops in the area, but were turned away as the shop proprietors were away for some kind of staff training. So we went for a walk.

Tennen shio ramen (700yen)

Shiogensui seems to be a pretty popular place among the locals. There are shops all over Osaka, though we were going to the honten (main branch), which almost always has a better reputation than its offshoots. It's one of those larger shops you find outside of Tokyo that cater to families, with lots of tables and space inside. This one was run like a factory-line, with lots of shouting and moving of bodies. Also a bunch of chefs in the kitchen, though the relaxed vibe meant that people weren't coming in and out as fast as the typical Tokyo lunch counter.

The shop claims to make a "natural ramen," with a tare comprised of over 40 different ingredients. The noodles are also homemade, with natural kansui. The taste is overall light and refreshing, with nice hints of yuzu citrus. A bit lacking in oomph, with a possible side effect being a slightly overly salted bowl.

Maybe the more memorable items were the sides. Kimchi and garlic are all-you-can-eat, and the bowls, such as this mayo-streaked chashu, are great for only an extra hundred yen.

Osaka doesn't seem to have any single local style, with many of the most popular shops running the gamut from shoyu to tonkotsu. Shiogensui is similar to a lot of shio bowls available in Tokyo, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Osaka, Yodogawa-ku, Kikawahigachi 3-6-24

Closest stn: Minamikata

Open from 11am-midnight

Hearts