Mita Seimenjo 三田製麺所

The boom of tsukemen is no joke. From what I've read, the famous Rokurinsha started the trend, and it has snowballed into an absolutely phenomenon. Almost in every corner in Tokyo you will see tsukemen being sold, even the famous Ippudo now has it on the menu. So when I was arrived in Roppongi to meet up with friends for a night out on the town, I noticed Mita Seimenjo.

Now if you call yourself the tsukemen "specialist", you better do it well. So I went into the shop with some expectations. There are two kinds of tsukemen sold here. The normal tonkotsu gyokai (豚骨魚介) tsukemen and also a spicy version. Being my first time here, I put in my money for the standard version.


For any ramen shop to survive in Roppongi, you better stay open pretty late. And after a night of drinks and clubbing, what could be better than a nice satisfying bowl (or plate of noodles). There are only bar seating here, and very fitting for being in Roppongi, and even at this late hour, I was not the only one who needed a quick fix.


You couldn't complain about the speed here. After receiving my ticket, they quickly went to work I received my order within a matter of minutes. They definitely don't believe that good food requires time to prepare. But does that mean I will be disappointed?


As with any tsukemen order, you get your bowl of soup, and a plate of noodles and another with toppings. For some, the plate of noodles can be intimidating. It looks LARGE. Most tsukemen offerings start at 200g, then you can get 300g, and even 400g. This place evens offer 500g, which if you think about, that's half a kilo of noodles, which is too much even for someone with huge appetite like me.


The noodles look quite amazing. The traditional way of making tsukemen is quite interesting. They quickly rinse the noodles in cold water after it's cooked, and the belief is that it allows the noodles to keep its chewiness. It's evident that this method works.


The tsukemen soup is usually a bit more savory that the soup you get with ramen, meaning the flavor really packs a punch. The idea is you dip the noodles in the soup, and slurp it all in.


Even with my cheap-o camera, you can see the texture of the soup as being quite thick. This is normal. The powder I believe to be bonito (a type of fish) powder, which gives it even more flavor.


Perhaps one of my favorite things in ramen is the menma (bamboo), and this place doesn't mess around. It's quite thick and tasty. Very good.


If you want to be picky, you can see the egg was pre-cooked and have been sitting around. It's cooked to the right texture, but you can see the yolk has dried out a bit.



Charshu is not as marbled as I like, but this could be preferable to most people. It's still very good and it blended well with everything.


Because the soup is usually very thick, they provide hot clear soup for you to make a more drinkable soup. Very thoughtful!

As you can see, after the noodles are dipped, it look sooooo very appetizing. And I was not disappointed. It was one of my first tsukemen tries, so of course I was easily satisfied. But even after trying others, this place is still a solid option. Also, after going to another shop, my friend told me they also offer to cook the noodles in hot water after rinsing in cold water. The problem with tsukemen is that the noodles are cold, so it is almost as if you are eating cold noodles. And by the end, the soup you have becomes cold. Not all tuskemen shops offers this. Kudo points for this option.


This place has expanded to 10+ locations in Tokyo, so they must be doing quite well to have franchised throughout the city. It may not be the absolute best tsukemen, but if you having a craving, the offering and its convenience should make this a top choice if you are in the mood for tsukemen.

City: Tokyo, Japan
Location: Numerous locations in the city
Hours: Varies by location
Website: http://mita-seimen.com/
Ordering system: Menu
Available in English: Minimal

Menya Musashi Shinjuku 麺屋武蔵新宿本店

One of the most popular ramen shops in Tokyo is Mushashi ramen. It one of those shops that most people have heard about from the long lines that most people do not want to wait for. It was again one of the first ramen shops that was recommended to me, but for some reason, it took several trips to Japan before I finally made it there, even though it was a short 10-minute walk from my hotel in Shinjuku.

What makes Musashi ramen so special isn't just their ramen, which is good to begin with. A lot of times, eating ramen isn't just getting a bowl of noodles to shove down your throat. The overall experience include the design of the shop, the service provided, and even at times, the show that is put on in the kitchen. The Shinjuku shop exemplifies that with its open kitchen and the customers watching the servers preparing the ramen and their every move. When the person that is cooking the ramen begins to drain the noodles, he lets out two very loud yells, and makes the whole experience quite unique.

Musashi ramen is Tokyo-based ramen at its finest. Very similar to Menya Kissou, but I would say just a notch down as far overall quality. The noodles are of the thicker variety, and the soup also very rich and flavorful. The hanjyuku tamago is very good here, not quite on par with Menya Kissou, but very close. Additionally, they also have tsukemen, which is the dipping style ramen, and the portion is HUGE.

My first impression of Musashi was, well, a tad above average at best. I just didn't understand what all the fuss was about. Until I had it the second time, and then the third time. And after a while, it grows on you. The noodles are very chewy, very "Q", and the soup is actually very good. The charshu was average, but the tamago makes up for it. The tsukemen was just average, but all in all, Musashi is worth a visit.

The most interesting about Musashi is that their menu is not the same in all the shops. So I am curious to visit another Musashi chain in the greater Tokyo, and from their website, it looks like there are a few good ones I must try.

City: Tokyo, Japan

Location: Shinjuku, west exit from station (7 other locations in Tokyo)

Hours: 11am - 9:30pm
Website: http://www.m634.com/

Order system: Machine

Available in English? No

Menya Kissou 麺屋 吉左右

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