Ramen Food Crawl @ Ramen Street, Tokyo Station.

" I mean vegan noodles are healthy and nice and all that...but what about the real McCoy?"

That was XH groaning about the existence of real ramen, or rather the lack there of in my previous post about T's Tan Tan. Like many of you guys, there are purists out there that believe ramen needs to have at least a meat base broth to consider itself real Japanese ramen. Anything else, its just noodles and soup. But not to worry, for I have finally visited your new most favourite place, Ramen Street!

Underneath this historic building is a delicious destination.

This amazing street in fact is not located on a street, but rather a basement in the Tokyo Station. Located specifically at the Yeasu South Exit area, this row of shops houses not just 1 or 2, but rather 8 different ramen restaurants with distinct characters and flavours! EIGHT!

One of the main entrancces. 

It will be a task to try them all. So after setting a target of 3, I took a sigh of relief as that seems to be a more doable target. Although I do love ramen and noodles in general, there is more to Japanese food than just ramen, as you can see from the previous blog posts.

So for my picks I selected the ones I have never tried before. So these are the shops that I have tried:


Kizo 

Beef tongue shio ramen.

First off the chopping block was gyutan ramen from Kizo. In case you didn't know, gyutan is beef tongue. Specialising in shio, which is salt based ramen, the broth is clean and clear. It has a mild taste to it and it is for someone who does not like their soup to be thick and porky. There were hints of pork in the soup, but I taste mostly chicken.

Clean!

The noodles themselves were easy to slurp and silky smooth. Firm to the touch and slightly al dente. This is a perfect summer meal as other soup types like tonkotsu and shoyu to me are more warming, which are more suitable for winter months.

The beef tongue. 

What about the beef tongue? Well it was a good topping, but sadly for me it just added a bit more novelty to the bowl. It was delicious and slightly springy on its own. But it did not add depth to the dish. Imagine lobster and beef burger, and you know what I am talking about.

Unique interior, I have to say. 

Its good to note that the Kizo is ran by the head of the Japan Ramen Association. So you are in good hands. I went there after watching some live wrestling from the Budokan. As the station is just a few stops away, the place was swarmed with wrestling fans and other hungry patrons. The line was long for this one, but it was worth the 45 minute wait. Although it did not blow my socks off, it was still enjoyable.

Time to fight the line!

Chiyogami

Perfection in a bowl? Perhaps so. 

If you still want to have a summer inspired bowl but with more depth, then the vinegar spiked chukasoba from Chiyogami would be the poison of your choice. I got here at almost 9 pm on a weekday and as such the line was not very long. Yeap, I made repeat trips to the Ramen Street. But then again, why wouldn't you?

Surprisingly clean despite impact-ful elements.

I would recommend the chukasoba as to me was a spectacular bowl of goodness. The shoyu and vinegar based broth was light and deep. The acidic profile allows it to have a tangy kick and reminds me a little of Vietnamese pho, which is savoury and slightly zesty.

Porky!

The toppings for this bowl were very good too. The charshu that came with it was sublime. Chewy and fatty, it would go well on its own. The eggs were marinated to perfection, with a sweet core for a yolk. The slightly runny yellow core also adds more elements of texture and flavour to the mix. A slight sprinkle of chilli flakes, and voila! Magic!

What a great pairing. 

The noodles were alright. However, I feel that Kizo executed them better. Still, it was another satisfying bowl and went down well with beer. Like really well.

Front of the house, and note the ticket machine. The one that controls it all. 

Soranoiro Nippon

Wait...wha????? Is this really ramen? 

But of course, I cannot let my vegetarian readers down right? So here is another vegan ramen on the menu, and its from Soranorio Nippon. Again, despite having critics, vegan ramen is a real thing and like any good dish, meat base or not, if it is done well, it will get the fan fare it deserves. Well, the Michelin guide has awarded it the Bib Goumand status. And to me it was well deserved.

A majestic mess. 

Unlike the other 2 places listed earlier, I patronised Soranoiro in the morning and had their breakfast vegan ramen. And unlike the 2 and also T's Tan Tan, this was a total league of its own. The broth was a complex concoction of several flavours combined. I can taste some pumpkin and carrots but I cannot really put my thumb, or rather tongue, around it. It is a mysterious liquid, but a very delicious one indeed.

Citrus-punch !

The noodles were also very bizzare, in a good way. Being almost crimson in colour, it packs alot of citrus flavour. Oranges and yuzu comes to mind. There was also a hint of pickled citrus peel in between the noodles and broth. it was really difficult to dissect the flavour components of this bowl as it was a mish mash of several elements crashing into one another, creating a burst of zesty and vibrant flavour.

The front of the shop, and note the ticket machine here too. 

Being a vegan dish, it has no eggs and the toppings were still top notch as it was complimented with pieces of fried lotus rood. Crunchy to the bite and slightly salty, it worked like a fancy crouton.

Final Thoughts 

Everyone has their favourite style. Some like tsukumen, while other like seafood infusions. Some prefer soy based broth while others would like a clear shio based. Regardless of what you would like to have, the quality is assured. This is because the local government hand picked some of the best noodle joints to open a branch there in the Station labyrinth.

An underground alleyway I hope to visit again. 

So there you have it! My 3 noodle choices from Ramen Street. A great place to have a comforting meal or just somewhere to have some food while transferring from shinkansens, there is something for everyone here. It just a shame that I was not able to have them all. But maybe in the future, I might.

If you see this sign, you are definitely at the right spot. 

So if you are in Tokyo or you are in mid transit, this is a must go if you are a fan of ramen. Getting there is really easy as it is the center of alot of the city's commuting routes and its on the Marounochi Line.