When it comes to ramen, there is a split between ramen lovers for Tsukemen and soup ramen. I dare say the split amongst serious ramen lovers is a close 60 to 40 ratio being the higher to soup ramen. We can see this in the offerings in restaurants locally and even in Japan, where soup ramen takes a whopping 80 to 90 % in the market
As a ramen lover who was first introduced to soup ramen like most people, I slowly developed my love towards Tsukemen as I enjoyed the deep flavours of the dipping broth and the chew from the noodles. While I love soup ramen too, I do make sure to hunt for a new Tsukemen restaurant whenever I visit Tokyo
Since I was staying in the Shinjuku area, which is packed with different types of restaurants, I was spoiled for choices, but I was also feeling lazy and decided to go with the restaurant nearest to my hotel with a relatively good review score. Located just a 2-minute walk from the main Shinjuku station, it is on the 8th floor of the Shinjuku Youth Building
The restaurant was a simple, down-to-earth ramen place where the first thing you see at the restaurant lobby is the self-service vending machine where you can order and pay for your noodles and beverages on the machine to receive tickets before proceeding into the inner area of the restaurant. I was so intrigued by ordering that I forgot to take a picture of the machine, but it has English and is foreigner-friendly. The space inside was not too big and catered to both table seating and counter seats. Like all ramen restaurants, they provide coat hangers for jackets and bins for your bags
We took the counter seats where we could see the chefs in action preparing our noodles. They provided varied condiments and also a thermos flask with basic dashi for customers to add to their Tsukumen broth at the end of the meal. The condiments had English labelling, so it was convenient for foreigners as well. Usual condiments include pepper, chilli oil, soy sauce, vinegar, but they also had yuzu powder, ground plum powder and lime vinegar
The first item served was the gyoza, which was perfectly cooked with a crispy crust at the bottom and soft and chewy skin on the top. The meat was tender and juicy and was great with the lime vinegar and chilli oil
Next was the main highlight: the tsukemen noodles. I ordered the basic with additional bamboo shoots as I loved them. The char shu, onsen egg and bamboo shoots were served separately on a dish, while the thick broth came with cut leek and fish cake. The noodles were thick, and the portion was pretty generous for 1 person.
The egg had the perfect consistency and flavours of the sweet and savoury soy sauce marinade, while the char shu belonged to a leaner cut with light flavours. The bamboo shoots were well braised, as it was crunchy with great flavour from the braise
The broth was extremely heavy and deeply flavoured as you slurp on the noodles coated with the broth. The pork bone broth flows around your palate as you also savour the sweetness of the seafood used in making the broth. The surprising seafood flavours paired perfectly with the heavier pork broth, and the cut leeks also added a needed peppery punch. After adding the dashi at the end, the soup was just perfect for drinking to end the meal
The noodles were thick and chewy and resembled udon. The thickness was perfect in picking up the flavours of the thick broth, and each mouthful was an enjoyable chew of noodles
Last but not least, they also gave us a yuzu sherbet ice cream to end the meal. Nothing too complicated, it was a nice complimentary dessert which acted as a palate cleanser to the heavy meal
Overall, I loved the quiet environment of the restaurant as it was not noisy and crowded like most ramen bars. The service was good, and the food was really enjoyable. With the convenience of its location, I will visit again if I am craving Tsukemen
Address: Japan, 〒160-0022 Tokyo, Shinjuku City, Shinjuku, 4 Chome−1−9 ８階
Opening hours: 11 am to 10 pm
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