Today we are going to feature a ramen shop that is not a chain, and I've asked my Japanese friends and not many have heard of it. But there is a huge following on the internet about this place, and they probably need to thank exilekiss. Menya Kissou is #3 on my list, and here, you will have perhaps the best quality bowl of ramen in your lifetime.
Menya Kissou is a small ramen shop that is in the outskirts of the heart of Tokyo, about a 5-minute walk from Kiba station off the Tozai Line. I am not sure of the history for this shop, but I first heard of it from my brother who forwarded me the blog. After reading the review, and being a HUGE ramen fan, it was a must try, so on this trip, I took my friends that were in town to experience what Menya Kissou is all about.The wait at Menya Kissou was true to what the blog had stated. We arrived shortly after 11am, and there was already about 20 people ahead of us. This being a Saturday, was not all that shocking. At about 12:05pm, we finally sat down, and the aroma inside the shop blew me away.
The shop itself is not huge, and is managed by a couple. They have their system down too, as the wait inside is no longer than 5 minutes. Once in the shop, you can smell the chicken and fish stock that make the soup base. Menya Kissou has a very, very simple menu. They have ramen and tsukemen. Tsukemen is a dipping style of eating noodles, where you get a plate of noodles and a bowl of soup, and dip the noodles in the bowl before you eat. Since it was my first time, and being winter, I opted for the ramen. You can get ramen, omori ramen (large size), ramen w/ tamago, or chashu ramen. I got the chashu ramen with tamago, and I was ready to dive in.
OH MY GOD!!! Yes, that was my first reaction. The soup itself was thick, not like sauce thick, but not watery like normal soup. You can tell they really put in the time to make the soup. Me being a huge tonkotsu ramen fan, it was going to take a lot for me to like the fish/chicken stock soup base. But it's not overpowering, and mixed with the just right seasoning. And the flavor is all there, and you can really taste it. If you go, just take a sip of the soup before digging into, and close your eyes. And they don't have many condiments like hot pepper or crushed garlic, which is a good thing.
The noodles itself is of the thicker variety, and was chewy with a wonderful texture. The hanjyuku tamago... is absolutely the best soft-boiled egg I have ever had EVER! What makes it amazing is not only the yolk cooked to perfection, but the egg white is cook just long enough that it forms the egg shape, but the egg white is not hard enough so it has a very bouncy feel. It's hard to describe in words so you'll have to go try it. You'll know what I mean. Now to the best part. The chashu. It literally does melt in your mouth, and just absolutely perfect. My friends already said it is the best chashu they have ever had, and I have to agree with them.
Okay, these are a lot of high praise for a ramen shop that I've ranked third. Does it mean Jangara and Ichiran are better than this? Well, one disadvantage of Menya Kissou is location and wait time. You will wait, between 45 minutes to 90 minutes. Even if you get there early, you still have to wait until the store opens, which to me it's still waiting. It actually turns a lot of people away, because there are so many ramen shops in Tokyo, so those of you who want to eat now, and don't have to patience, this may not be the shop for you. But it's safe to say, if you love ramen, and you can stand to well, stand to wait for a while to have a bowl of noodles, you have to give it a shot. I promise you, you will not be disappointed.
City: Tokyo, Japan
Location: Kiba, 7-8 minutes walk from the station
Hours: 11:30am - 3pm, or until noodle runs out (closed Wednesday and Sunday)
Website: No official website - http://ramendb.supleks.jp/s/4062.html
Order system: Menu
Available in English? No
The shop itself is not huge, and is managed by a couple. They have their system down too, as the wait inside is no longer than 5 minutes. Once in the shop, you can smell the chicken and fish stock that make the soup base. Menya Kissou has a very, very simple menu. They have ramen and tsukemen. Tsukemen is a dipping style of eating noodles, where you get a plate of noodles and a bowl of soup, and dip the noodles in the bowl before you eat. Since it was my first time, and being winter, I opted for the ramen. You can get ramen, omori ramen (large size), ramen w/ tamago, or chashu ramen. I got the chashu ramen with tamago, and I was ready to dive in.
OH MY GOD!!! Yes, that was my first reaction. The soup itself was thick, not like sauce thick, but not watery like normal soup. You can tell they really put in the time to make the soup. Me being a huge tonkotsu ramen fan, it was going to take a lot for me to like the fish/chicken stock soup base. But it's not overpowering, and mixed with the just right seasoning. And the flavor is all there, and you can really taste it. If you go, just take a sip of the soup before digging into, and close your eyes. And they don't have many condiments like hot pepper or crushed garlic, which is a good thing.
The noodles itself is of the thicker variety, and was chewy with a wonderful texture. The hanjyuku tamago... is absolutely the best soft-boiled egg I have ever had EVER! What makes it amazing is not only the yolk cooked to perfection, but the egg white is cook just long enough that it forms the egg shape, but the egg white is not hard enough so it has a very bouncy feel. It's hard to describe in words so you'll have to go try it. You'll know what I mean. Now to the best part. The chashu. It literally does melt in your mouth, and just absolutely perfect. My friends already said it is the best chashu they have ever had, and I have to agree with them.
Okay, these are a lot of high praise for a ramen shop that I've ranked third. Does it mean Jangara and Ichiran are better than this? Well, one disadvantage of Menya Kissou is location and wait time. You will wait, between 45 minutes to 90 minutes. Even if you get there early, you still have to wait until the store opens, which to me it's still waiting. It actually turns a lot of people away, because there are so many ramen shops in Tokyo, so those of you who want to eat now, and don't have to patience, this may not be the shop for you. But it's safe to say, if you love ramen, and you can stand to well, stand to wait for a while to have a bowl of noodles, you have to give it a shot. I promise you, you will not be disappointed.
City: Tokyo, Japan
Location: Kiba, 7-8 minutes walk from the station
Hours: 11:30am - 3pm, or until noodle runs out (closed Wednesday and Sunday)
Website: No official website - http://ramendb.supleks.jp/s/4062.html
Order system: Menu
Available in English? No
1 comment:
The dipping noodles at this place was ridiculously good. Try that as well if you aren't in the mood for Ramen.
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