Shibaraku 博多ラーメン しばらく

It all started with Jangara, and I still love tonkotsu ramen. But that definitely has taken a back seat in Tokyo, since the rise of tonkotsu gyokai (豚骨魚介) has pretty much taken over first place in my heart. Still, every once in a while, it is nice to have a change and go back to my roots. Shibaraku, being close to the office, was one option that I had to explore.

Hakata-style ramen shops has your typical menu. Ramen, with topping options, kaemada (another serving of noodles), gyoza, and some rice options.

I love gyoza, but it's not something I usually order at a ramen shop. Pretty normal for the locals to have ramen + gyoza, or ramen + rice. The gyozas here were good, nothing spectacular, but more than fit the bill.

Here comes the ramen. Bowl is small to begin with, which means the bowl is completely filled to the top with the noodles, soup, and toppings. The bowl looks small, but there is more than enough food in there.


Soup is well balanced here, but the hakata-taste was a bit stronger than I liked. But if you like the hakata-style flavor, this place is good for you.

The tamago was done VERY well. Nice orange color, soft on the outside, yolks still a bit liquidy. Amazing!

Noodles were your standard hakata-style thin noodles. It is what we come to expect. As with any hakata-style ramen shop, you can ask to have the noodles cooked longer to be a bit soft, or shorter to be a bit hard.

Being close to the office, it earns kudo points already. And this place wasn't bad at all. I've been back a few times, and it's always done consistently. You'll have to like Hakata ramen though to appreciate this place, but it is one that usually has a packed hour during lunch time. The businessmen around the area know, if they want a good meal for lunch, Shibaraku is a solid option.

City: Tokyo, Japan (one other location in Tokyo, three in Fukuoka)
Location: Nihonbashi area, 5 minutes walk from Suitengumae Station
Hours: 11am - 8pm
Website: No official website, http://ramendb.supleks.jp/s/3840.html
Ordering system: Menu
Available in English: Minimal

Sakura Zaka 中華ソバ 櫻坂

Shibuya is known for many things: shopping, nightlife, hachiko, 109 girls, but not really known for being a ramen place. But just within walking distance from the station, I found not only Hayashi, which easily became one of my favorite shops for tonkotsu gyokai ramen, but found Sakura Zaka, which was also highly rated on ramendb.

Sakura Zaka is known for some very interesting ramen styles. There was one called tonkotsu shio, which was pork bone w/ salt, and this I had never seen before in any other shop. But at the time when I visited, I was on a tsukemen eating streak, so I ordered the tonkotsu gyokai tsukemen.

Very standard tonkotsu gyokai soup, whether you are looking at the texture, thickness, or transparency, it was everything you expect from a tonkotsu gyokai base.



Noodles once again very good. I felt a bit thinner than some of the shops that serve the real thick variety, but this I didn't mind at all.


As you can see the thickness of the soup, with some hints of black sesame seeds, and it was not oily at all.


Charshu was very good here. Very soft, very good for tsukemen. It blended well with soup, and make the easy experience very easy.


We have a winner with the tamago here. It was done very very well. One of the highlights at this shop.


All in all, a very good experience. I regret not trying the tonkotsu shio, and it looked very good and definitely worth a shot. Foot traffic is already pretty dead by the time you reach this shop, but it's good ramen attracted enough people as it was more than half full on a Saturday afternoon. Pretty impressive for non-feeding hours. The tsukemen is good, and the tonkotsu ship ramen is just interesting enough that I will have to visit this place again.

City: Tokyo, Japan
Location: Shibuya, 5 minutes from east exist
Hours: 11:30am - 9pm,
Website: No official website, http://ramendb.supleks.jp/s/309.html
Ordering system: Machine
Available in English: None

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