Hyperlocal Tokyo

Salt Tsukemen Hirugao Mori (Salt Dipping Noodles Hirugao Mori) This is the place that serves my favorite salt tsukemen. The rich clam broth soup with scallops and the smooth, chewy flat noodles are a perfect match. I still remember the shock I felt when I first tried it. It's a shame that there isn't a store near my home, but I make sure to go whenever I get the chance. I've tried both their ramen and tsukemen, and personally, I recommend the tsukemen because you can taste the rich clam broth more intensely. I haven't tried any other Setagaya restaurants yet, so I'm planning to try the main branch next.

I visited on Thursday at 12:15. First, I bought a ticket from the vending machine and then joined the queue. I was seated after about 15 minutes. I chose the salt ramen 'Hirugao' with a large portion of noodles. It was served quickly, in less than 5 minutes! The broth was delicious, with a strong flavor of scallops. The thin noodles were a perfect match for the soup. The shrimp wontons were a nice touch! Adding a little black pepper made it even better. The staff were foreign, but they provided friendly and attentive service, even though their Japanese was a little shaky. I'll definitely be back to Tokyo Ramen Street!

Located in the Ramen Street of the Yaesu Underground, a 5-minute walk from Tokyo Station on the JR Yamanote Line. There are two entrances, but you can only enter from the Soranoiro side. I visited on a weekday evening at 8:00 PM and there were about 5 people waiting. This is a salt ramen shop. While it's a classic genre, it's difficult to balance the flavors and hard to expand the menu, so you don't see many shops specializing in salt ramen. The interior is quite narrow, even for Ramen Street, and you'll definitely bump elbows with the person next to you. There are also some tables. The menu features regular salt ramen, along with wonton ramen, char siu ramen, and others. The menu selection is definitely limited. I ordered the Hiru-gao Uma-kara Chanpon. Now, the taste... Wow, this is spicy! It's not the thick, intense spiciness of Nakamoto, but a clean, refreshing spiciness like Shin Ramen. I'd give it the award for the spiciest out of all 8 shops. It's not just spicy, but also a chanpon, so you get the sweetness of the vegetables and the umami of the seafood. There's a certain gentleness to it. The ingredients include pork, cabbage, bean sprouts, wood ear mushrooms, snow peas, and a seafood mix. The noodles are thick and chewy, similar to Nakamoto's. It wouldn't feel out of place with mapo tofu and a North Pole-style seasoned egg floating on top. The price is 1350 yen, and it fills you up about 80%. It's not a very prominent shop in Tokyo Ramen Street, but I thought it was well-made. I'd like to try other items on the menu.

I had a meal at Tokyo Station during my visit. After browsing through various restaurants, I chose this one on a whim! I ordered a salt ramen with all the toppings, and it was delicious. The wontons were especially good. It's a tasty ramen that even children can enjoy, although it depends on personal preference. I'll definitely come back again. Thank you for the meal!

I only had the Ebi Shio Wontonmen for ¥1170. The strength of this ramen is the deliciousness of the shrimp wontons. It was among the best wontons I've ever had. The flavor itself is good, but the texture after biting into it is excellent. The soup and noodles are also above average, as expected from a famous shop. The interior is terribly cramped, though. But I guess it can't be helped...