Lisa George
If you’re searching for a Tokyo Ramen Guide, you’ve come to the proper place. When in Japan, eat ramen, proper? It’s a no brainer for a noodle lover like me. And in principle, it appears easy sufficient, however actually, while you get there, you’ll see, the ramen tradition is intense. Shops on retailers on retailers of little eating places, all promoting ramen. And, the kicker? All the photographs look the identical! There’s creamy pork bone primarily based tonkotsu, shoyu-dashi primarily based Tokyo-style, wealthy and creamy miso primarily based bowls, and the listing goes on and on and on.
It’s arduous to select a favourite, but when I see wantan-men – basically ramen with wonton – it’s going to be the bowl I need set down in entrance of me. I discover it arduous to resist the Japanese tackle wonton. Japanese wantan are very like their Chinese counterpart, in essence, they’re each little, tender meatballs of pork, shrimp, or a combo, wrapped up in a silky, skinny, noodle like wrapper. The main variations between the 2 lie principally within the ratio of wrapper to filling. Most Chinese wontons have a 80:20 filling to wrapper, with little or no overhang of wonton pores and skin. Japanese wonton, then again, are nearly the precise reverse, with a 20:80 wrapper to filling ratio. The result’s lots of extra wonton pores and skin – it seems like consuming an enormous noodle, with a little bit of filling tucked right into a nook.
Of course, wantan alone don’t make a great bowl of ramen. Also important: a deep and sophisticated broth, spring-y noodles, and toppings. Here are four ramen joints that do wantanmen proper.
Hayashimaru
Step down a facet road in Koenji – a cute neighborhood full of outlets, cafes, and kawaii cat donuts – and also you’ll discover Hayashimaru, a really native ramen joint. Local is at all times good, however on this case, even higher as a result of it implies that there most likely gained’t be a wait.
They provide two sorts of bowls, shio (salt) and shoyu (soy sauce), each with a niboshi (fish) rooster and pork base. Typically, I’m going for shio, however shoyu is definitely what Tokyo is thought for. Everything is home made, from the noodles, to the wonton, to the chashu. The noodles are medium-thick and straight with a great chew and the wonton have probably the most delicate, skinny pores and skin wrapped round juicy insides. They have each pork and shrimp wonton and naturally you possibly can go for only one, however I opted for the blended which got here with each, in addition to nori, menma, and two items of chashu.
They even have a wantan tsukemen for all you dipping noodle lovers on the market.
Hayashimaru
東京都杉並区高円寺北 2-22-11
2-22-11 Koenjikita, Suginami-ku, Tokyo
Closest station: Koenji
Open: Monday – Saturday 11:30am – 4pm/5:30pm – 8:30pm Sundays 11:30am – 9 pm
Closed: Wednesdays, each 2nd and third Tuesday
English menu obtainable, money solely, order inside on the counter
Yatagarasu
Yatagarasu is among the newer Tokyo retailers that’s turning into fairly fashionable. They’re not identified for wantanmen per se, however their signature bowl comes with wonton, so I’m simply going to go forward and name them a wantanmen specialist. They have two function bowls which they name black (shoyu) and white (shio). I went with the white, which was lighter with a outstanding dashi taste and Mike went with the black which was deeper and daring. Both bowls include chashu, wonton, and an egg. The chashu was glorious right here; it was low temperature pork, completely tender and seasoned properly. The noodles have been straight and on the skinny facet, flecked with bits of entire wheat. You can’t actually see the wonton within the photograph, however they’re there, hiding. They have been giant (for Japanese wonton), plump, and juicy. I want there have been extra within the bowl, however then once more, I might have most likely simply eaten a bowl filled with wonton and been joyful.
If you’re , they do have an possibility to add further wonton or have wonton as an appetizer 😉
Yatagarasu
東京都千代田区九段北 1-9-2
1-9-2 Kudanshita, Chioda-ku, Tokyo
Closest station: Kudanshita
Open: Monday – Friday 11am – 11pm, Saturday 11am – 3pm
Closed: Sunday
No English menu, money solely, merchandising machine ordering: the highest left button is the particular black ramen and the highest proper button is the particular white ramen.
Yakumo
Yakumo might be some of the well-known, if not the most well-known locations for wantanmen in Tokyo. They’ve been on TV and in numerous magazines, together with profitable TRY – Tokyo Ramen of the Year. We first ate at Yakumo once they have been on the second ground of a random constructing in Nakameguro, however now they’ve moved to a slick, trendy store within the up and coming neighborhood, Ikejiri Ohashi. Their new digs are beautiful however much more so is their bowl of ramen.
Like Yatagarasu, Yakumo calls their bowls white and black. As per regular, I went with the white/shio and Mike went with the black/shoyu. If, for some purpose you possibly can’t select between the 2, you possibly can inform the workers that you really want a mixture while you hand them your ramen ticket. The particular bowls include six(!) wonton every, Three pork and three shrimp. They’re large and juicy with a pleasant delicate “tail” of additional pores and skin. I really like them a lot that one time, I ordered an additional order of 6 wonton. Wonton apart, the noodles listed here are straight and skinny, the chashu is thick and candy, and there’s menma, nori, and negi as properly. It’s a extremely stable bowl.
Yakumo
東京都目黒区東山3-6-15 エビヤビル 1F
3-6-15 Higashiyama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
Closest station: Ikejiri-Ohashi
Open: Monday 11:30am – 3:30pm, Tuesday – Sunday 11:30am – 3:30pm/5pm – 9pm
Closed: Tuesdays
No English menu, money solely, merchandising machine ordering: the highest left button is the particular white ramen with 6 wonton and the highest third button is the particular black ramen with 6 wonton.
Mensho
Mensho makes one in every of my favourite bowls in Tokyo. In truth, the Mensho group occurs to be one in every of my favourite (possibly even my favourite) group of ramen eating places. Mensho’s motto is “a bowl for tomorrow” and it’s basically farm to bowl ramen. Their signature is a seafood primarily based, with a inventory produced from sea bream and scallops, seasoned with sea salt. The flour for the noodles is milled from entire grain wheat proper subsequent to you within the laboratory making these a number of the freshest noodles round. The bowl comes with a scallop, dusted with charred negi and a sprinkling of karasumi, cured yellow cod roe. There are slices of probably the most tender rooster you’ll ever style and the wonton, in contrast to many of the wonton round Tokyo, are produced from tuna. Seriously good.
Mensho
東京都文京区音羽1-17-16
1-17-16 Otowa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
Closest Station: Gokokuji
Open: 11:00am – 3:00pm, 5pm – 9pm
Closed: Mondays, Tuesdays
No English menu, money solely, merchandising machine ordering: the highest left button is for the particular seafood shio ramen.
Alright! Those are the 4 wantanmen locations I’d positively advocate if you happen to’re searching for a bowl of noodles that’s just a bit bit further. We’ll be posting extra Tokyo ramen guides quickly, so hold your eyes peeled and your tummies prepared.
PS – Some useful hints with the ramen merchandising machines:
ワンタン wantan/wonton
黒 black/soy
白 white/salt
醤油 shoyu/soy
塩 shio/salt
ビール beer
玉子 egg
Stay ate up Primetweets Kitchen!
