Tsukemen: The old curmudgeon in me fights it, but my taste buds don't lie

Hi guys,

Wow there is so much I need to write up!  Friends visiting me, adventures had, all sorts of stuff like that.  But first, it has been waaaay too long since I put up a food post.  And let's be real, I don't know about you guys but that's what interests me the most about this blog (if you're interested in something other than food posts, maybe this just isn't the blog for you to be reading)

So today we're going to talk about Tsukemen.  I'm going to feature two different shops that specialize in this type of ramen.  This is a relatively new style of ramen, one that has gotten very popular in recent years.  Although Tsukemen can be made from any style of broth (miso ramen, which we've previously discussed is usually my favorite style, is very commonly found as tsukemen), because it's at its root a Tokyo phenomenon I chose two different places that specialize in broths from here in Tokyo

Mendokoro Musashi Bukotsu has a classic setup, a small, low-ceilinged room with a counter around the kitchen

Fu-unji on the other favors the long and narrow approach, the entire kitchen strung out so that everyone can watch the show

Here's a picture of the *other* side of the restaurant, yeah that back wall is pretty much constantly full.  More on that later

The first is Mendokoro Musashi Bukotsu, one outlet of the Musashi chain of ramen shops (each with a different style, of course).  To get technical, they have a pork-bone based broth but, typical to Tokyo ramen, they add in a strong fish broth flavoring to give it depth

The second is called Fu-unji, which rose to prominence behind its rockstar-styled head chef and its slew of awards.  No seriously, they got awarded "Best Ramen in Tokyo" three or four times in the last few years--hence the giant crowd in that photo up there.  Most tsukemen places stick with a pork broth, but they blend in chicken broth to lighten it up as well as dried fish powder to really give you a punch of flavor

Let's take a look, shall we?

Musashi Bukotsu,  tsukemen (large size)

Fu-unji, tsukemen (large size)

WAIT A MINUTE.  Something has gone terribly wrong here!  They forgot to put the noodles into the broth!!!

Yup, that's what tsukemen is.  Rather than mixing the two together, the broth and noodles are served separately.  The broth is much, much strong than its more traditional cousins, to compensate for the fact that you don't get as much in each bite.  In turn, the noodles are usually a little bit thicker in order to stand up to the presence of strong flavors

So, what do I think of tsukemen?  Well, as I mentioned in the title of this blog, the old curmudgeon in me doesn't always approve.  A lot of the old guard, both diners and chefs, think of tsukemen as kind of a cop-out.  New wave, trying too hard to be cool, a way of avoiding having to do the delicate balancing act of placing noodles in soup while still maintaining the proper texture and strength of broth.  So yeah, a lot of me doesn't approve.  But on the other hand, I gotta admit . . . having a small amount of very strongly flavored broth to play with and mix with noodles to my own palette?  It's not bad

And places like these two do their broth pretty goddamn well, so I'm not gonna complain too hard if they want to go overboard and really punch up the flavor.  The pork flavor with Musashi Bukotsu is strong but the broth is not heavy, which is an amazing balancing act of controlling the level of fat.  Throw in stewed pork to add richness and raw onions to cut the strong flavors, and this plays very well.  Similarly, the fish powder floating on top of Fu-unji's pork and chicken broth mix would be overpoweringly strong in a traditional presentation, but here it works pretty damn deliciously to make for a very smooth and rich experience

I still like my traditional ramen, still respect that as the trickiest and most impressive presentation of broth and noodle.  But hey, I won't turn down good tsukemen.  Plus, not to be too much of a wimp, but as the weather gets warmer and warmer every day here in Tokyo, I gotta admit the slightly lower temperature consumed with tsukemen can be kind of nice . . .

Noah out



I've decided to start adding an "in this post" section to provide information about all these places that I visit.  I realized that I've benefited from others' blog posts in the past, and I think it's only right to pay it forward (plus, bizarrely, a friend discovered that some of my posts actually come up if you Google the English names of some of these places.  This is weird).  And hey, if I get really ambitious I'll even go back and add this to my old posts

In this post:

Menya Musashi Bukotsu
Tokyo, Taito-Ku, Ueno 6-7-3 (on the Southwest corner of the block)
11:30-22:00 daily (although they occasionally open up a bit earlier)

Funji
Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Yoyogi 2-14-3
11:00-15:00; 17:00-21:00
Closed Sundays and holidays

Happy Mother's Day!

Hi everybody,

One last post from my mother's visit.  I think I'm a little late getting this up in time for Mother's Day, but I wanted to post it regardless.  Here's the deal:  My mom is awesome

And while she loved going on our little adventures together, she also had a goal:  She wanted to help me out getting my apartment together.  She wanted to get me the little things to make my apartment more comfortable, more homey.  We walked around (which wasn't easy for her after foot surgery) Ikea and Costco, neighborhood places and big department stores.

I didn't take a picture of everything, because most of the great stuff she got me were just little things (a dish rack, a board to place over my washer for extra counter space, a hall tree).  But here are a few of the things that make me smile to look at them, because they came with thoughtfulness and love!

A lamp, because she wants me to be comfortable sitting on my couch reading a book

A car rug, because every damn apartment is better with a rug that allows you to pretend that your feet are cars

She even tracked down a table that's the *perfect* height for my couch!

Oh, and she actually dragged out two of my pots, a skillet, and a massive heavy pan *on the airplane*.  Because she is my mom

That's my mom, she's pretty amazing.  She outfitted my apartment, both with things she bought and things she brought over



This last one I wanted to post, however, isn't something my mother got me.  It's something she instructed me to purchase once I moved into my apartment (and actually, my friend Brittani beat me to it by getting it for me for my birthday!).  It's a toaster oven, and I have it for a very specific reason

"Do you have an oven?"
"No, just a stove"
"You should pick up a toaster oven"
"Nah I don't think I need one"
"No, you should pick up a toaster oven"
"How come?"
"Because at some point, you're going to want to make nachos"

. . . how do mothers get to be so wise????  It's amazing



This is a post about my mother, and how she worked to do the little things to turn my house into a home

Noah out

NoahandMominTokyo 2: The Sequel (Hatonomori Park, Sendagaya)

Hi all,

Continuing from my last post, another post featuring my mom!  I didn't take a lot of pictures, we were too busy running around for me to photo document it a lot.  But one more thing I wanted to share with you all

We headed on back to Sendagaya, the neighborhood our family lived in when she was born.  And we headed to Hatomori Park, which my mother remembers playing at when she was only 5 years old.  I know, I know, you guys are probably tired of seeing yet another little park in Tokyo, regardless of the emotional value for me and mine ;)

But this one is pretty cool.  It's famous for its Fuji-zaka hill, which is to say a miniature model of Mt. Fuji.  Complete with tiny models of some of the shrines on the mountain, it's a great little landmark that's popular with both tourists and the ubiquitous little kids running up and down it (my mother used to be one of those!)

Guide map and everything, so you don't get lost on the trek up.  Oxygen tanks not provided, sadly

Remind me to come back later in Spring and Summer, when the flowers are blooming!

Great view from the top, too!

A very nice little day hike, all things considered!

As for the rest of the park, I don't know if it would necessarily be a spot for every tourist coming to Tokyo, but it's a very pleasant way to spend a warm Spring afternoon.  There's a wonderful little shrine and even a stage for Noh performances on summer evenings.  Nice little spot, for sure

Wash your hands before paying respects, of course

A small donation is customary, I like to think of it as fee to get to ring the bell

A beautiful setting for a neighborhood park

Anyways, nothing major to say.  One of my favorite parts of living in Tokyo is participating in the generations of my family's history that have taken place here.  This one is a pretty recent bit of family history, but just as precious!

Noah out