さいころ Saikoro: que bonito!

I'm a big fan of the flavor of bonito, or sardines, especially because I've been eating Eifukucho Taishoken since I was little. I was looking forward to trying Saikoro, which is heavy on the bonito flavor.

This shop used to be Jiraigen in Honancho, Suginami, but they changed their name for reasons unknown to me and moved their shop to Nakano in 2011. The menu changed with the move as well.

Niku niboshi chukasoba (730yen - a steal!)

I had the niku niboshi chuka soba. Large cuts of seaweed, lots of chashu, a nice flavored egg, bamboo, chopped scallions, and a piece of naruto (the white fish cake with the pink swirl). Old school style.

If I could describe this shop in one word, it would be "smooth." The soup has a soft smell of bonito. The homemade noodles are silky and elastic.

I especially liked the bara chashu, which was sliced thin and well-balanced with both fatty pork belly and solid meat. It looks hearty, but even small girls like me can easily eat this bowl. The gyoza is also solid.

Ramen continues to evolve, and there are lots of peculiar bowls around Tokyo these days, so I really hope great old-school bowls like Saikoro continue to thrive without losing their way.

Tokyo, Nakano-ku, Nakano 2-28-8
Closest stn: Nakano

Open from 11am-11pm

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