Tomita 中華蕎麦 とみ田

I have been monitoring ramendb for a few years now, and in the past two years, there have been a few shops that are consistently in the top. For a good year or so, it was Menya Kissou, but in the last a year or so, a new shop in Chiba took over the crown. And since it took over, it has not looked back.


Tomita is not to be messed with. It's been on top of the ramendb charts, and with my love for ramen never wavering, I had to try it out for myself. Now Chiba isn't exactly close, but traveling to far places to try ramen was never a problem for me.


Located within minutes walk from Matsudo Station (松戸駅), I treked out from Shinjuku on a Saturday morning, and arrived around 11am. As you can see, the shop is not hard to find. Just look where the crowd is.


This shop definitely has character. From the exterior design of their window, to the interior decor of a traditional Japanese furnishing, it makes this shop a unique experience just to be here. But of course people don't travel all the way to Chiba for the decor. I must first apologize for the poor lighting of the pictures. I forgot to check the setting on my SLR, so the pictures turned out way too dark.


Tomita offers ramen and tsukemen, but it was evident that tsukemen is the prize here. From reading the reviews, it was clear tsukemen was going to be my choice. The picture isn't clear enough, but the tonkotsu gyokai (豚骨魚介) soup was absolutely superb. Some place is too light, some place too heavy, Tomita provide just the right balance of flavor and taste.


To achieve top billing in ramendb, you must do everything well. And tamago is one of the most critical piece to any ramen/tsukemen. Tomita is no exception. Soft on the outside, liquidy yolk on the inside, just perfect.


The amount of noodles you get with tsukemen, even with a normal order, never ceases to amaze me. It's a wonder how Japanese stay so skinny (but I guess not everyone eats ramen as much as me). The noodles were a prize possession here, thick, chewy, and immensely satisfying. The charshu, not charred as much as I like on the outside, but the serving was so generous and well marbled which made up for it.


The thickness of the soup can be seen through how it stays on the noodles. And when I took my first bite, it was as good as I expected. Sometimes when you set expectations too high, often times you are disappointed. Not here. Tomita is ranked #1 for a reason. It does everything well and has no weaknesses. If there are any minuses here, it's that it is all the way out in Chiba, which makes it a bit hard to get to. But if you are ever adventurous, and just want to have the best, head to Chiba. You won't be disappointed.

City: Chiba, Japan
Location: Matsudo, minutes walk from the station
Hours: 11am - 5pm (closed on Wednesday)
Website: No official website, http://ramendb.supleks.jp/s/282.html
Ordering system: Machine
Available in English: Minimal

Warito 麺屋 和利道

Rain or shine, when it comes to ramen, I will travel to the ends of the earth to eat the best ramen in the world. On a gloomy and rainy Saturday, I decided to give one of the top ranked tsukemen shops in Tokyo a try.


Warito sells on tsukemen, and I love shops that sell only one thing, because chances it's going to do it well. It's ranked as a top-5 tsukemen shop as long as I remembered, so it's consistency has been tested, tried and true.


Even on the rainy Saturday, there was a line, although all were standing inside the shop. Chances are on a nice day, the line would easily be outside.


I order the usual, with the tokusei toppings, and quickly realized why this is top 5 shop. Let's start with the charshu. Charred to perfection on the outside, a nice thick cut, and so well marbled, this should be the standard that all charshu is measured to.


Tamago here wasn't shabby either, although a bit dried out. It was not the highlight of Warito but definitely wasn't a weakness.


And on the the noodles. You typical thick version for tsukemen, it was cooked just right and at the right chewiness. Very impressed!


The tonkotsu gyokai (豚骨魚介) soup here is excellent. Perfect balance between tonkotsu and gyokai, not too heavy and not too light. It's very very balanced.


I dug in, and being hungry and cold, this was very satisfying. However, the problem with tsukemen is after a while, the soup gets cold. Days like these I always wish there is a ramen option, no matter how much I am in love with Tsukemen.


But never fear! Those of you who have been around knows what this is. So one of the coolest thing about Warito is that they have a grill going at all times keeping these rocks very hot. What's the purpose? Well, since the soup gets cold after dipping the cold noodles, this rock will heat the soup back up. Such a cool and inventive way!


And it sure did the trick. By the time I finished the noodles, the rock came. And within minutes, my soup was warmed up, and I added some clear soup and drank every last drop. It could not have been a more satisfying experience, and definitely ranked right up there with the best of the best. It's not at such a convenient place as it is a bit out of the city, but for one of the best tsukemen experiences in Tokyo, you should definitely give Warito a chance.

City: Tokyo, Japan
Location: Ikejiriohashi, 7-8 minute walk from the station
Hours: 11am - 3:30pm, 6 - 10pm (closed on Wednesday
Website: No official website, http://ramendb.supleks.jp/s/22563.html
Ordering system: Machine
Available in English: Minimal