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

Sakura Fairgrounds

Hi guys.

I feel like I didn't express clearly enough in my last post just how big of a deal sakura season is here in Tokyo.  Guys, sakura season is a big, giant deal here in Tokyo

It only lasts for a week, but for that entire week the entire city gets devoted to hanami (flower-viewing).  No seriously, the entire city

Every single place in the city that has cherry blossoms gets flooded with people to view them.  And in turn, at the best sites, be they city parks or sacred shrines, if there's room for it they'll set up picnic tables and food stands to sell to them.  They will turn temple grounds into fairgrounds.  Because that's just what we do in the springtime in Tokyo.  

Special guest appearance by my oneesan (big sister) Teru, who is pretty much the coolest, nicest, best person in the world--and an excellent hanami companion

It didn't hurt that the day was absolutely *gorgeous* . . . I mean, seriously, look at that

Beer, sake, and pretty much anything you could possibly want threaded onto a stick and grilled.  And that's only at *one stand*

Looks like the upcoming generation of takoyaki chefs are here and learning from the masters that came before

Did I mention the awesome amount of grilled things on sticks???  God I love this country

Most of the stalls are just that, little stalls, but every so often someone ponied up for the extra-large lot and had basically a portable restaurant going

I'm pretty sure Japanese people have been cooking fish exactly like this--skewered and stuck into the sand around a fire--for thousands of years.  Tens of thousands.  Because if it ain't broke . . .

Phenomenally fresh shellfish, meet fire and sunshine.  Fire, sunshine, this is some phenomenally fresh shellfish.  I think you will be friends

Like I said, if there are cherry blossoms there will be people set up to view them.  Be it a park, a garden, or a temple, because that is how Tokyo rolls

It's even a family affair!  Mom is cooking takoyaki out front, while son and grandpa hang out in the back

And yes, there are carnival games.  You thought I was exaggerating when I said that they basically set up fairgrounds wherever there are cherry blossoms.  I wasn't

And yes . . . there's even cotton candy.  Because it wouldn't be a fair without it

Listen, I'm still a young man, I get that.  There is a lot that I haven't seen in this world, I will be the first to admit that.  But I am pretty damn confident that there are not a lot of places on this earth where you can go to a shrine or temple, buy a bag of cotton candy with a cartoon character on it, and enjoy it underneath cherry blossoms.  So when you find one of those places, you should cherish it

Noah out

Hotaru Ika (Firefly Squid)

Hi everyone,

Has anyone heard about firefly squid?  They're super cool!  Bright blue bioluminescent, they of course spend most of their time in the very deep ocean (like most bioluminescent fish)

Science!  Science is fantastic!

However, once a year, they come up to the surface for mating season.  Toyama Bay here in Japan is famous for this, and every year the entire bay turns bright blue

#55,483 on my list of things to do here in Japan . . .

Cool, right?  The mysteries of science are even more impressive than fiction



Oh . . . and did I mention that they are delicious???  Hahaha you didn't really think this blog post was just about the pretty lights?  Yup, for a very short period of time in spring, you can find them on menus here in Japan

They have a very soft texture compared to normal squid, although still with a bit of bite to them.  The flavor is a touch briny without being overly fishy, and they're bite-sized, or if you're savoring them then I guess two bites.  More importantly, they have a subtle sweetness the pairs awesome with their savory ocean flavor

Enter Izakaya Hoochie Coochie . . .

Turns out, they are *delicious* tempura-style . . . there were a lot more to this order, but I got distracted because they were so delicious and ate half of them before remembering to take a picture

Oh and hey, you can flash-boil them and serve them sashimi-style.  Which happens to go *very* well with shochu, but that's another post, I think . . .

Moral of the story:  Always go with the seasonal goods here in Japan.  You will not be disappointed

Especially when Hiro is the chef.  Hell yeah

Noah out

Tonki: More benefits of specialization

Hey guys,

Ever since I mentioned it back in my post about Harajuku Gyoza Lou (one of my more popular posts, aww shucks), people have wanted me to write something up about Tonki.  Some say it's the best tonkatsu in Tokyo; others, the best in Japan.  I don't want to weigh in (I've had a lot of great tonkatsu, including Ouroji about which I wrote a post).  But there's no denying that this place is pretty special

My Uncle Ike was visiting, and this has been one of his favorite places for years.  So we decided to head on down a few days ago to see if they're still as delicious as we both remember (spoiler alert:  Yes)

The first thing to note about the place is that it is clean, spotless and pristine.  A single large room, you sit in one counter surrounding the open kitchen and the on-deck diners sit along the wall.  Even with fryer oil running constantly, the restaurant is entirely free of any smell.  The air is pure, the wood is clean, and everything about the place runs smoothly

Call it 30 seats or so, not as small as many shops but certainly enough to really pack it in

Although there's space in the back, 90% of the cooking happen right here in the central kitchen

As soon as you walk in, the majordomo will immediately take care of you--"host" is simply not dignified enough for this guy.  One gets the sense that if Prime Minister Abe himself were to walk in, accompanied by President Obama, Chancellor Merkel, and the ghosts of Queen Victoria and Emperor Meiji, the majordomo would confirm their party size of five, take their orders, and direct them to seats along the well

(alas, no pictures--we were here right at opening to beat the line, and apparently he isn't necessary until later.  I'll just have to go back)

Oh yes, you place your order as soon as you walk in, because there are more or less only three things on the menu:  Dark meat, light meat, or skewered with onions.  Breaded and fried, served with the traditional cabbage accompaniment, with rice and soup rounding out a full meal.

As soon as your order is placed, the full assembly line goes into action.  Your meat is floured and egged in turn repeatedly, then breaded in panko and dropped straight into the first of a series of vat-sized fryers.  The meat is turned carefully, transferred to each subsequent vat by a watchful attendant, and finally diced and served.

The perfect assembly line

At each stage a different chef takes care of it, with the final removal from the fryer overseen by what I believe may in fact be the happiest man in the world--no seriously, he is my favorite part of this shop.  He is always here, hunched over, and every single piece of meat eaten in this shop is inspected and sliced up by his eyes and hands

That is the smile of a man who knows 100% exactly what he wants to do with his life and has the contended knowledge that he does it the best in the world

The tonkatsu itself defies description.  Crispy on the outside, warm and moist on the inside, with sweet sauce, spicy mustard, and cool cabbage to complete a full combination of tastes and textures

Uncle Ike's hirekatsu (light meat)

Plus my rosukatsu (dark meat), plus an added skewer or pork and onions because Ike had never tried it

A little out of the way, but absolutely phenomenal.  Tonki, located in Meguro station, is an absolute must-try if you visit Tokyo

Oh, and free refills of rice and cabbage, by the way ;)

Noah out

Kagari: Chicken Soup for the Ramen Lover's Soul (and, more literally, mouth and stomach)

Hi everybody,

Ok gather 'round.  Straight talk.  I may have a new favorite ramen place in Tokyo.  Maybe better than Mutekiya.  Maybe better than Kururi.  Maybe my favorite in town.  It's called Kagari, and it's something special

It's smack-dab in the middle of Ginza, Tokyo's high fashion district.  It's only been around for a few years, but they do it right.  They do it very, very, very right

Yes, down the alley past the Gucci store.  This may be the most Ginza thing ever

It's a cute little place, isn't it?  It'd be hard to find, if not for the line.  Fortunately, there's always a line

It goes down the alley . . .

. . . and around the corner

And that line is not messing around.  It doesn't move very quickly when there are only 8 seats inside.  It's not about a hurry

Cool little setting inside, right?  But we're not here for the ambiance.  We're here for the ramen.  There are a few things on the menu, but almost everybody gets the same thing:  Tori Paitan, a chicken-based broth that is very hard to find.  Possible because when you're working with such subtle flavors (no fatty pork or strong soy sauce taste to hide behind) you have to be pretty much perfect.  And these guys make it happen

Toppings:  Ginger and fried onion, just enough to give it some extra punch

(First of all, can we take note of the fact that they give you a super rich chicken-based broth . . . and then they give you grated ginger to dump in?  Just unfair--makes me want to get sick just so I can go down there and get cured instantly)

Noodles:  Medium thickness, cooked relatively soft.  Nothing to distract. Nothing but the soup

This broth is just awesome, no other word for it.  I know I overuse that word (I think it's my most-posted in facebook statuses), but seriously.  This broth inspires awe

It's like drinking a chicken made out of silk.  It's like your mouth is taking a bath in warm poultry goodness.  I swear, it's so rich and wonderful you think you can taste not only what's on your tongue but what's in your stomach as well.  I'm sorry, I know this paragraph is getting weird. It's getting really weird.  But the English language simply doesn't have sufficient adjectives for describing taste (someone needs to get on that).  So instead, I'm forced to resort to comparison and analogy

It's like your soup is giving you a hug, inside and out.  It's amazing

Noah out

Akihabara Gyukatsu

Hey guys,

Man do I have a backlog of stuff to post.  Sorry, life has been crazy!  But for my first post in a while, it will of course be a new delicious place I found to eat.  Because as much as I love learning wonderful things about culture, viewing beautiful parks and gardens, and even discovering new things about myself in ways only living alone in a foreign country can teach . . . let's be honest, the reason I'm here in this country is the food



So let's chat about gyukatsu, shall we?  Not uncommon, but certainly atypical, gyukatsu is the cousin of tonkatsu (about which I have discoursed in the past).  "Ton" means pork, "gyu" means beef.  So instead of a nice pork loin wrapped in batter and fried, you do the same with steak

Now, steak is delicious.  Deep-frying things makes them delicious.  So I'm working on a theory here that if you take something delicious and subject it to a process that makes things delicious . . . it will be super delicious.  Gyukatsu is definitely a positive data point in this theory

There's a shop near my work that does a very nice gyukatsu.  Head on down for lunch and get the lunch set, I'm sure you won't be disappointed.  But I think I'm going to keep that shop anonymous, I'll explain in a sec

I will never get tired of lunch sets

But wait.  Now that's nice and all, but if I made a post for every meal that was "nice and all", I'd spend my whole life glued in front of the laptop.  But there is a shop in Akihabara that pushes all of my extra credit buttons

Tiny interior . . .

. . . with a long line out front

Ichi Ni San Gyukatsu (it's a pun--"ichi ni san" is Japanese for "one two three", but uses a different set of kanji in this name) in Akihabara does not mess around.  Like many of the places that get mentioned on here, their menu is simple and delicious.  I wandered past it at lunch one day and saw a line even longer than the one in the photo.  So I came back right at opening time and managed to sneak in

Lnch set.  1200 yen'll get you beef, veggies, soup, rice, and three kinds of sauce

Awesome, gorgeous, and super fun.  But what sets them apart is the quality of the meat.  Let's compare to the first place, which as we said will remain nameless because it's just not fair to have to measure up to Ichi Ni San.  Well, there is no comparison

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

No comparison, no competition.  Zoom in if you like, you'll find no flaw in that gorgeously ruby-colored cut of beef in there (just ask my friend Sam, he was along with me for the ride on this particular trip)

You want to take amazingly high quality beef and then wrap it in light delicious crispy batter?  Head on down to Akihabara.  Wait in line, it'll be worth it

Noah out

Back-alley Tonkatsu

Hi everybody,

Apologies for the hiatus, Noah was not actually inTokyo for the holidays.  But I am back, and committed to more rambling musings and pictures of food than ever!



Anyways, I love Shinjuku, it might be my favorite station here in Tokyo.  As much as I love and am loyal to Nishikawaguchi (it really is fantastic), if I ever ended up with more money than I knew what to do with it would be hard to turn down the idea of a Shinjuku penthouse.  The place is busy and full and bright and everything I like about a place

And that's not even a very good picture--I was there at a weird time, so missing from this picture are the wall-to-wall crowds of people rushing by.  I've gotten to know this station pretty well by the simple expedient of literally dozens of hours spent wandering aimlessly about.  Which is how I discovered that if you duck down the right back alley and look for a nondescript shop without neon lights or brightly painted signs, you come to an absolutely stellar tonkatsu shop . . .

[edit:  Went back and checked, the name of the restaurant is Ouroji.  It's amazing.  Go eat there, so delicious]

They do their tonkatsu in hearty Edo style (for those of you that remember my discussion in my post about Tempura Iseya).  The pork is not pounded flat to give it an elegant appearance.  The panko breadcrumbs are not dusted across it to give it a light and airy texture.  This is simply a large chunk of pork that is coated in a thick batter, both of which contribute to some of the most tender and flavorful pork you have ever eaten

Their full course is not cheap (1,750yen), although I have splurged and it's totally worth it.  Some of the best tonkatsu I've had in town.  However, if you've been reading this blog you've probably guessed where this is going . . . lunch teishoku!

At lunchtime, for the still-pretty-high-but-not-terrible price of 1000 yen you can get their tonkatsu curry donburi.  Take one giant oblong spheroid of pork loin, cut it into three slices, put it on top of rice, and cover it in curry sauce.  A recipe for delicious, delicious lunch.  Or a recipe to get me to fall in love with you.  I'm pretty simple like that

Apologies for the awful picture quality.  I was in a hurry to start eating

Giant pots of housemade tonkatsu sauce and spicy mustard?  Yes please

Oh and by the way, while I was gone there were a few culinary cravings weighing heavily on my mind.  Ramen was one, and don't worry I scratched that itch immediately upon my return.  The other two were curry and tonkatsu though, so it was quite fitting I managed to get both in . . .

Seriously, this was just a day of terrible picture quality, I'm sorry.  But dude it was so delicious

Cannot recommend this place highly enough.  But then again, I've always been a sucker for good tonkatsu

P.S. They also have a tonkatsu sandwich on the menu for 1000 yen.  That would have to be a pretty mind-blowingly good sandwich to be worth $10.  Only one way to find out . . .

Noah out




edit:  It was definitely the best tonkatsu sandwich I've ever had.  Mind-blowingly?  Maybe.  Worth 10 bucks?  Ehh . . . that's tough to say.  But delicious nonetheless

Don't get me wrong, absolutely amazing sandwich.  Perfectly sweet bread, great sauce, pork still warm from the frier

Just a little, y'know, small.  I guess I'm just picky with my sandwiches?

Tofu Shop!

Hey everybody,

One of the best things about living in small neighborhood on the edge of Tokyo (I mean, I still have double-digit storied skyscrapers, it is still the Tokyo area) is all of the small little shops.  There's a little stationary store down the block, plenty of tiny clothing stores.  But my favorite discover so far is this guy:

For those of you that can't read Japanese, that is a Tofu Shop.  Handmade tofu for next-to-nothing prices.  The only problem is that it's only open during the day and not on Sundays, but that's just kind of how Japan works.  And if getting tofu means I gotta jet out of work really quickly once or twice a week to make it before closing (or wake up early on Saturday to make it there before closing), I'm down with that

The tofu maker is there every day, as he probably has been for as long as anyone can remember.  He picks out your tofu for you by himself, and packages it in paper.  Over his shoulder you can see the other products, fried tofu, tofu skin, and all of the other accouterments

The main attraction though, is the basic tofu.  Kinu (soft) on the left, great for simmered dishes or eaten straight; momen (firm) on the right, great for stir-fries.  Both are made fresh daily.  It's only 160yen for a single serving's worth, which is an absolute steal



I've done a ton of different things with these, but for the post I thought I'd keep it simple:  Yu-dofu, simple simmered tofu.  Every Japanese person knows this dish, it's a staple of the season.  Most importantly, it's one of those tofu dishes that lets the subtle flavor and sweetness of the tofu come through--which when you have fresh delicious tofu is definitely a good thing

Take the kinu tofu, and simmer it in dashi stock until warm (5-6 minutes should be fine).  Top with reconstituted wakame seaweed and sliced green onions or other greenery, then season with chili flakes, soy sauce, and yuzu citrus juice.  Serve with the broth and a spoon

Now that's something to make you feel warm and happy on a winter's evening

Noah out