Sandaime 三代目(助) MARUSUKE

In my many trips to Tokyo, I pretty much always stay in Shinjuku. Let me take this opportunity to prop up the Hilton Tokyo in Shinjuku, one of my favorite hotels in the world. Great location, friendly staff, and amazing lounge. If you have diamond status, it is one of the better lounges I've ever been to.

Okay, on to the main event. While I don't mind traveling a long distance to have good ramen, it's always nice to find something in the neighborhood. So thanks to ramendb, I've decided to give Sandaime a go on a Saturday afternoon.


One great thing about Sandaime is the decor and how spacious the shop is. Many of you ramen lovers will attest that some of the ramen shops in Japan are way too small. It makes the experience special and cozy, but for a big guy like me, it can get difficult to maneuver. The way the interior is designed reminds me of a sushi shop where you sit at the bar with the sushi chef preparing your food.


Sandaime offers a variety of ramen flavors, but based on recommendations, I went with one of my favorites, tonkotsu.


The bowl is nicely decorated with a nice, white, creamy looking soup, nice and evenly marbled charshu, menma, tamago, and usual other toppings. All in all looking very good.


The noodles not like your traditional hakata-style noodles, but also of the thinner variety. Cooked to just the right chewiness.


Charshu was the highlight of this place. Made just exactly the way I like it, not too lean with just the even amount of fat.


The egg was also done very well here, another signature item here, although the yolk is cooked a bit too long and not as liquidly as others.


All in all a very nice, quality bowl of ramen. Does it stack up to the greats? Probably not. And chances are I still prefer Ichiran if I need a tonkotshu ramen fix. But if you happen to be in the Shinjuku Sanchome area and looking for a nice bowl of ramen, you should give this a try.

City: Tokyo, Japan
Location: Shinjuku, minutes from the Shinjuku Sanchome station
Hours: 11:30am - 11pm,
Website: No official website, http://ramendb.supleks.jp/s/2562.html
Ordering system: Machine
Available in English: None

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