Four a days...

Day 861:

Ready...set...go!

Bowl #1: Miso Ramen from Menkou (らーめん 麺好) in Nakano-Fujimicho.

The miso is homemade, but overall the ramen is a tad too normal.

Off to restaurant disneyland!! aka Tenpos Busters.

Oooh I've always wanted one of these!

If you're wondering, I needed to pick up some supplies.

Anyway, on to the next bowl! Yo Nobo! Get the car ready!!

After driving around and getting denied from our intended destination (I mean, who runs out of soup two hours before closing?), we ended up at San San Nana (鶏煮干し 三三㐂 大森) in Oomori.

Bowl #2: Tori Niboshi Soba (鶏煮干そば).

Similar to Nagi Goldengai but with a little less impact.

337...

I didn't think it was that great, but I still gave it a kanshoku.

Nobo got the Ichiban Shibori Tsukemen (つけめん 一番搾り).

Their main shop in Kawasaki is a tsukemen shop. This makes me want to go to Kawasaki.

Not feeling completely satisfied, Nobo and I set out to slurp another bowl. The only problem: We couldn't agree on the next shop. But Nobo was intent on trying Noriya Shokudo (のりや食堂) in Oimachi and since he was driving I let him have his choice--although Noriya did pique my interest after hearing it was Wakayama-style.

Then I had a sip... (Bowl #3: Wakayama-style Chuukasoba)

Hands down the worst bowl I've had this year. For the record, I did eat all the noodles but didn't bother drinking all the flavorless soup. Don't get me wrong, I love Wakayama-style but this bowl was not something to be loved.

After that unexpected disaster, it was time to end the night right.

Bowl #4: Tsukemen from Dyurumen Ikeda (づゅる麺 池田) in Meguro.

づゅる づゅる づゅる！Hands down one of the best tsukemen I've ever had.

So Nobo, you down for bowl #5?... hahaha. 食べすぎだ！

The Notorious Bigiya and Ramen Zero...

Day 92: Part 1

Today was a long day so I'll have to split it up into two parts. After a quick workout in the morning, I was off to Shibuya for my weekly ramen meetup with Nate and Brian. We decided to eat lunch at Bigiya in Gakugei-daigaku, since I've been wanting to try it after Uno-san from the 808 lounge mentioned that he's friends with the owner. Plus, Bigiya is a new shop on the rise and has been featured in all the ramen mags.


The ramen is simple, but it has impact. The strange thing about this soup is that it kept getting better and better as I ate it. Seriously, the first sip was kind of bland, but the last sip was great.


The noodles were stellar and the best part of the ramen.


There was also two different types of chashu. Both were delicious.


Afterward, we all agreed that we could use another bowl so we headed to Meguro to try the uber-hyped Ramen Zero. The reason why it's called "zero" is because they don't use any tare or additives in the bowl. Everything is extracted naturally from the ingredients that go into the soup.


To be quite honest, I didn't care too much for this ramen.


Despite being too clammy, it was just missing something.


Don't get me wrong, this ramen was good, but it's one of those I'm-glad-I-tried-it-but-never-again types.


Oh yeah, Ramen Zero is part of the Setagaya group.


To be continued...

Craziness...

Day 62:

After waking up from a crazy night filled with Nigerian club bosses, 60-year-old breakdancers, and dark basement staircases (don't ask), I had a crazy craving for some old-school shoyu ramen. That's when Nate and I were flipping through George Takahashi's recent ramen book and Shinasoba Katsumaru caught our eye. Katsumaru has been around in yatai-form since 1971 and this exact shop was opened in 1984. This was definitely the old-school shoyu I was searching for.


I didn't realize it until once I sat down, but I've tried Katsumaru before. Not the actual shop per say, but the instant nama ramen back in 2008. At that time, I had written "I live for this kind of soup." And holy crap, this shoyu ramen did not disappoint!


Seriously, this is my kind of ramen. From the broth to the noodles, this is the type of ramen that sparked my obsession as a child.


The deeply marinated hanjuku egg was beyond amazing and even the cardboard-like chashu made me smile.


Much like last night, this is one bowl I will never forget. I will definitely be back!!


Btw, where did that photographer go?