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Great ramen in Tokyo

Great ramen in Tokyo

Old Sep 17, 2014, 1:21 pm
  #16  
 
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Originally Posted by evergrn
Ichiran is a chain place that's a safe choice.

Lots of little great hole-in-wall ramen places in Ikebukuro.




It's okay imo. I enjoy it. Enjoy it more than their meal, actually. The soup comes out pretty good, but the noodle is where it gets butchered compared to the real deal. But overall better than just about any ramen I've had in the States.
Meet me in the Bay Area. I'll show you some decent Stateside ramen.

FWIW, I also like Ichiran, but most Japanese I've queried seem to dislike it.
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Old Sep 17, 2014, 6:42 pm
  #17  
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I happen to like shoyu ramen but the question came about because one of my kids has a friend going to Tokyo and asked me. Shouldn't have to be limited to Ebisu. I'd say that traditional ramen (for a first-time visitor) is either miso or shoyu and has round noodles. I'd even argue that traditional would have to include char-siu (however it is pronounced).

Now I can just reference them to this thread, thanks!
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Old Sep 17, 2014, 7:03 pm
  #18  
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Soba House Hototogisu in Hatagaya is reportedly very good (Tokyo Time Out). Yamaguchi near Waseda is also a solid example of shoyu ramen with a chicken-based soup stock.

I also like niboshi ramen, which uses dried sardines for the soup base. Nagi in Shinjuku does a good version.

This blog has a good roundup of Tokyo ramen in English.
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Old Sep 17, 2014, 10:11 pm
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Originally Posted by ainternational
Meet me in the Bay Area. I'll show you some decent Stateside ramen.
Yeah, I'm sure there's decent ramen in the US. I'll be honest, I haven't made enough ramen rounds in the US. In the Bay Area, I've had Santa in S.Mateo, this place off Castro in MtnView, couple places in S.Jose. Think the best of the bunch was Santouka inside Mitsuwa in S.Jose. Santouka is really about the best ramen I've had in the States, but I'm sure there's better ramen elsewhere. I personally would rate ANA's Ippudo ramen more highly than Santouka. It'd be fantastic if ANA could figure out a way to stick a couple slices of chashu in there.
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Old Sep 18, 2014, 12:22 am
  #20  
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Originally Posted by armagebedar
This blog has a good roundup of Tokyo ramen in English.
Enjoyed that round up, even at 7am I'm now salivating like a Japanese Spitz in a Kyoto summer.
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Old Sep 18, 2014, 7:40 am
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Originally Posted by LapLap
Enjoyed that round up, even at 7am I'm now salivating like a Japanese Spitz in a Kyoto summer.
me too....all that salty goodness....
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Old Sep 18, 2014, 7:45 am
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Originally Posted by armagebedar
This is like asking "what kind of pizza do you like?" (but probably more so). There are so many different types of soup (shoyu, shio, tonkotsu, gyokai, etc. in a variety of consistencies), noodles (thin, fat, straight, kinked, etc.), and ways to eat it (noodles in soup, noodles on the side, no soup, etc.), so it would help if you let us know what your preferences are.
I find that there are way too many ppl in the Japan subforum who start off their replies with "Oh but there's just SOOO MUCH OF _____ IN JAPAN." We all get it. Japan is a vast and extremely diverse country. But it's incredibly annoying to get responses to like when people are asking general survey questions. Maybe OP has no idea what kind of ramen he or she likes. Or maybe they just want to try out a new type that they've never tried before--- or better yet, maybe they just want to see what you, as the experienced traveler, like to eat ramen-wise. Just share your experience and what you know and move on. If you've only had shio ramen and like spot X, then say so. If you've only had tonkatsu and only know spot Y, then share that. Don't just stroll in here and barrage the OP with "Oh but that's SOOOOOOOO vague" posts. Posts like these are so useless imo. Didn't meant to call armagebedar out specifically at all-- this is just for everyone that responds in such a way.
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Old Sep 18, 2014, 10:33 am
  #23  
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Then why bother with a forum, Strawboy1230?

There are plenty of guidebooks and websites out there that will give lists of suggestions. Here, there is a chance of communicating and finding out more about the person making the request. The person querying may not even realise they've made a vague request and that there are literally thousands of X kinds of restaurants and shops in an array of styles using an assortment of techniques and offered at a wide range of price points. A bit of dialogue can help the seasoned travellers and expats here work out what it might be that they actually want.

As jib71 said, there's be little point sending someone off to Minowa for Ramen if they are staying in Ebisu, just as sending off to have their digestive tract violently assaulted at Ramen Jiro is not a kindness if it turns out that they would prefer to dip their toes into the Ramen world with the lighter citrus scented offering from Afuri.
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Old Sep 18, 2014, 10:52 am
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Originally Posted by Strawboy1230
Just share your experience and what you know and move on. .....Don't just stroll in here and barrage the OP with "Oh but that's SOOOOOOOO vague" posts. Posts like these are so useless imo.
That would be no fun at all. We might as well just write comments on Trip Advisor. Here we can be opinionated, contrarian, bombastic or whatever else suits our moods.
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Old Sep 18, 2014, 12:25 pm
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Did Strawboy1230 woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?
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Old Sep 18, 2014, 12:56 pm
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Originally Posted by 5khours
That would be no fun at all. We might as well just write comments on Trip Advisor. Here we can be opinionated, contrarian, bombastic or whatever else suits our moods.
I tried to write a review on Tripadvisor and it was rejected because it was too negative. It was an awful hotel.
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Old Sep 18, 2014, 1:53 pm
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Originally Posted by Strawboy1230
Maybe OP has no idea what kind of ramen he or she likes.
OP knows exactly what he likes.

Last edited by jib71; Sep 18, 2014 at 2:14 pm
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Old Sep 18, 2014, 4:51 pm
  #28  
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Great Ramen and Tokyo is an oxymoron ! Better off to go to Kyushu where you can enjoy really good Ramen, Udon, and Soba !
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Old Sep 18, 2014, 7:46 pm
  #29  
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Originally Posted by Q Shoe Guy
Great Ramen and Tokyo is an oxymoron ! Better off to go to Kyushu where you can enjoy really good Ramen, Udon, and Soba !
Tend to agree and it is usually cheaper too! But the person on whose behalf I am asking with just be in Tokyo.

Have a piece of horsemeat sashimi on me.
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Old Sep 18, 2014, 7:52 pm
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Originally Posted by RichardInSF
Have a piece of horsemeat sashimi on me.
How kind of you, where shall I send the bill ?
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