Tonchin 屯ちん

It’s always a plus to find a decent ramen shop near Shinjuku, as it is easy access for me when I need a good meal. There were many that I was really excited about, but I read good things about Tochin, so on a Saturday afternoon, I decided to give it a try.

As with many ramen shops, the machine system makes ordering quick and painless. It wasn’t too busy on a Saturday afternoon, especially with plenty of places to eat around this area. The kitchen here is wide open, so you can see the ramen artists here at work.

This place essentially has got three types of noodles: Miso, Tonkotsu, and Tsukemen. Quite an interesting combination as usually we do not see these three together in one shop. I of course always opt for my usual, tonkontsu. Without too long of a wait, my ramen came.

One of the things that differentiate the tonkotsu ramen here is that one of the standard topping is green onions and menma (looks like it is stir fried and a bit spicy). It provided a bit of a different taste to a standard tonkotsu-based ramen. The other usual suspects are here: seaweed, hanjyuku tamago, and chashu.

The soup is quite tasty here, with just the right amount of fat and heaviness.

The chashu also quite excellent, with a nice balance of lean and fatty meat.

The tamago was your standard hanjyuku tamago, but the yolk may have been cooked a bit too much.

All in all, not a bad bowl of ramen. I wouldn’t mind trying the miso ramen next time if I am around, but not exactly near the top as far as tonkotsu-based ramen. The stir-fried green onions and menma didn’t really do it for me. It wasn’t one of my favorites, but would definitely consider it if I didn’t have too many options to choose from.

City: Tokyo, Japan (also in Kawasaki and Fukashima)
Location: Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, Sunamo

Hours: Varies (check website)
Website: http://tonchin.foodex.ne.jp/index.html

Order system: Machine
Available in English? Some