Okay. I have to tell you guys about this place. So I randomly saw a blog post for this restaurant and it piqued my interest. I had never had tsukemen before, and this seemed like a pretty good introduction to it. Uni cream tsukemen? Yes, please! I love uni so, so much, but it's so dang expensive! Two pieces of uni nigiri here (Hawaii) at a nice sushi restaurant will run you about $8.00 at least. But this serving of uni tsukemen only cost $10.00!
The hotel we stayed at was right in Shibuya station, and the restaurant was only a two minute walk, fairly easy to find with Google maps, as long as you know what the restaurant front looks like.
This restaurant had a ticket system, which made ordering pretty easy. You could choose between two different sizes, 200 grams or 300 grams of noodles.
Here is the ticket machine showing, from left to right: Clam ramen, lobster ramen, uni cream tsukemen, and kani tsukemen. There was also mackerel and mushroom ramen:
Inside, it was pretty cozy. I'd say you could only fit about 12ish people in there.
This is the uni tsukemen:
The broth was extremely thick and flavorful. It didn't taste fishy, but tasted more like the ocean. It wasn't too overwhelming, either. It was just really, really magical. It just coated my tongue, and wrapped it up in an uni-flavored blanket. It was like an uni-kotatsu. Imagine that. lol I think that, if you are curious about trying uni, this is a good starting point.
It was, however, extremely rich. I wasn't able to finish all of the broth.
I know there's something where you can add the water from the boiled noodles to the broth to finish it, but I didn't even have room to do that (and I couldn't remember what it was called, anyway). I now know that its called "wari soup." So, if you are feeling up to the challenge, ask for some wari soup to finish up your broth.
This place was so amazing I went back a second time, my last meal in Japan, and got the lobster ramen.
Look at that ridiculousness. The spoon doesn't even sink into the broth. What you see on top there in a cream-colored spiral is lobster mousse. Yes, mousse. The chef used the same kind of metal foam maker that baristas and my mother-in-law (she's hard core) use for making whipped cream. It, too, wa magical. The noodles were firm and chewy (how I like them), there was a generous topping of green onion and yuzu peel for an extra boost of flavor, and buried deep in the bottom was a boiled egg.
It is hard to say which was my favorite, the uni cream tsukemen or the lobster ramen. I think they are two completely different things and can't be compared. But, after dining at the Yokohama Ramen Museum (I managed to put away three mini ramen. I'm fat. leave me alone), it is safe to say that this ramen is on a level all its own. If you are ever in Shibuya, eat here. You won't regret it.
東京都渋谷区道玄坂1-11-2
Tokyo, Shibuya-ku, Dogenzaka 1-11-2
Closest station: Shibuya
Open 11:30-15:00, 17:00-23:00
Saturdays 11:00-23:00
Closed Sundays
UPDATE
My friend went to Japan in October 2015 and Tairyo Makoto was gone! It was replaced by another restaurant. I'm not sure if they closed for good or relocated, but I hope they open somewhere else because this place is just too good to not exist anymore! Sad face!
UPDATE
My friend went to Japan in October 2015 and Tairyo Makoto was gone! It was replaced by another restaurant. I'm not sure if they closed for good or relocated, but I hope they open somewhere else because this place is just too good to not exist anymore! Sad face!
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