Akasaka Ramensan 赤坂ラーメン

With all the ramen shops available in Japan, competition is fierce and it's really hard to stand out. While I've had some amazing ramen in Japan, sometimes you just want a meal that is satisfying where you don't have to stand in line for two hours.


On my first trip to Japan, I stayed in the Akasaka-Mitsuke area. This area is full of places to eat, and Akasaka Ramensan kind of stood out with it's huge sign and logo on top of the shop.


I'll be the first to admit, I've become a spoiled ramen eater. It's hard after you've had some of the top rated ramen shops in Tokyo not to become picky. But today, I was in the Akasaka area for work, and I just wanted to satisfy my hunger. So I decided to give this place a try.


I am such a sucker for ramen with nice layered pork, and Akasaka Ramensan does it great. The pork is very tender, it's done very well. And as you can see, the tamago is top notch. The yolk is cooked to perfection.


The noodles was average at best, it looks like you typical instant noodle. With so many ramen shops in Tokyo that servers amazing, homemade noodles, this place is nothing to write home about.


With that said, this place is no sloutch. Although not comparable to the top shops I've been to in Tokyo, if you are looking for a good meal, this place is worth a try.

City: Tokyo, Japan (also 5 shops in Taiwan)
Location: Akasaka, minutes walk from either Akasaka-Mitsuke or Akasaka Station
Hours: 11am - 5am Monday - Saturday, 6pm - 4am Sunday
Website: http://www.akasakaramen.com/
Ordering system: Machine
Available in English: Minimal

Akanoren 博多麺房 赤のれん

My original taste for ramen in Japan was really more tailored to hakata-style ramen. I have always loved thin noodles, and my first experience being Jangara, which was one of the more popular tonkotsu ramen shops in Tokyo, I was out searching for a true, tradition style of hakata ramen. With an option that is so close to Roppongi station, I had to give Akanoren a try.


This ramen shop almost seems out of place, because just down the street is the ever so modern Roppongi Hills. The decor brings you back in time, and you can sense this tradition of hakata ramen even before sitting down. Even the menu is written on a wooden board.


Akanoren brings you hakata ramen at its finest. Every thing from the thin noodles, to the thickness of the tonkotsu soup, to the charshu, and the toppings. This is as traditional as it gets.


What was a nice surpise also was the special dumplings they had. Normally you get gyozas, which is pan-fried. But here, you get boiled dumplings, which was a really nice change. The standard gyoza/dumpling sauce is available, and it was a nice compliment to the ramen.


The problem with having ramen without a Japanese speaking friend is running into problems ordering. Without a machine, I did my best impression of a Japanese person, but failed miserably. Simply because we wanted the hanjyuku tamago, but got a full-boiled egg in our bowl. And when I attempted to order what I thought I wanted, out comes a fully raw egg in my bowl.


It didn't mix well, but that's not the ramen shop's fault. The ramen as a whole was very good. So the lesson here is, I need to learn some Japanese.


All in all, this was a very memorable experience. I loved the decor, the ramen was always very good. If you are craving good hakata ramen, and you live in the city, you won't have to go far. Akanoren is just around the corner.

City: Tokyo, Japan
Location: Roppongi, about 10-minute walk from Roppongi or Azabu-Juban Station
Hours: 11am - 5am
Website: No official website (http://ramendb.supleks.jp/s/398.html)
Ordering system: Menu
Available in English: Minimal

Abura Soba Tokyo Abura Kumi Sou 油そば 東京油組総

My love for noodles does not just end with ramen, but it is basically any kind of noodles. My mom's side has always preferred flour based food, so I have always preferred noodles over rice (believe it or not). I've made claims several times is what makes ramen my favorite food in the world is because how amazing the soup is, and how much time and effort is spent making the delicious broth. But lately I've been hooked on this sesame sauce noodles in Taiwan, and last time while in Tokyo, I found this dry noodle place that I am now absolutely addicted in.

Akasaka-mitsuke is quite a popular for wining and dining, and attracts many workers after work since it has a variety of restaurants. So often we go to Akasaka for dinner, and on the to one of favorite Chinese restaurants in Tokyo, there lies this noodle shop that always seems to be crowded. So one day I finally decided to venture in to find out what this place is all about.

Abura soba is a simple 'soba' shop that serves dry noodles, meaning noodles with no soup. It's basically a bowl, with their special sauce, noodles drained, and toppings (charshu, negi, menma, and onsen tamago). They provide instructions after you get the noodles to add vinegar, chili oil, chili sauce, and crushed onions. Being a vinegar lover, I piled on the vinegar, chili sauce, crushed onions, and mixed it all together.

What comes out is this absolutely wondering blend of dry noodles that just satisfies my taste buds to no end. The first time I had it, I was impressed, and now I can't seem to get enough of it. I'll have it once a week at least. It's really hard to describe the taste, because the sauce is such a secret. And with the amount of vinegar and spice you add to your liking, it creates a flavor that meets you satisfication. To me though, what makes this place special isn't just that the charshu is very good, or the onsen tamago gives the noodles another level of flavor, but the noodles itself is one of the best I've had in Japan. The chewiness, or "Q'ness" is about as good as it gets. I absolutely love it.

I know this place will not be for everone, and it seems that the times I've been there, this is a place preferred by men more so than women. But if you are a noodle lover like me, give this place a try. I am sure you won't be disappointed.

City: Tokyo, Japan

Location: Akasaka-Mitsuke (東京都港区赤坂3-10-20) and Shibuya (東京都渋谷区渋谷3-18-10)

Hours: Monday - Saturday 11:00-26:00 (Shibuya until 28:00), Sunday 11:00 - 21:00
Website: No official website (http://ramendb.supleks.jp/shop/15743)
Order system: Machine
Available in English? No (some of them speak a bit of English)