Epic Tsukemen Ramen at Rokurinsha

Situated somewhere on the basement floor of the busy Tokyo station lies one of the best Tsukemen Ramen I've ever had so far. Tsukemen is a Japanese noodle dish consisting of ramen that is consumed after first dipping it in a separate bowl of soup. There seems to always have a lineup regardless of how late or how early you arrive; it's honestly that good. Just when you thought you could beat the system, there's a ton of other locals and foreigners alike that are trying to do the same thing as what you're doing.

Tokusei Tsuken

I ended up ordering the most expensive item on the machine since I didn't want to settle for anything less after waiting for over 30 minutes. It was the one that was priced at 1050 YEN which has the addition of shredded pork in the broth. The noodles were cooked perfectly "Al Dente" - nice and chewy. I don't usually praise much with how noodles are cooked but boy it was perfection. I don't know if anyone could master what they did to it. The broth was made of both chicken and pork bones with many dried fish flakes (bonito, mackerel, sardines). It also had green onions, fish cake, a slice of Chasu (fatty braised pork) and seaweed. There was also what I believed to be some sort of dry fish powder which gives it a very fishy flavor to the broth that I never had tasted ever before and it surprisingly works very well together.Without hesitation, I would come here to eat my Tsukemen when I'm in the area.

Ramen Vending Machine

Egg soft-boiled to Perfection!

Store Front

Name: Rokurinsha Tokyo Tokyo Ramen Street
Address: Tokyo Station Ichibangai B1, Tokyo Ramen Street, 1-9-1 Marunouchi, Chiyoda, Tokyo 100-0005, Japan
Google Maps: Click Here!
Website: Click Here!

Yummy Deluxe Chirashi-don near Tsukiji Fish Market

We were pressed for time so we didn't get the opportunity to try Sushi-Dai as the lineup was a bit too long to wait but it's okay there are lots of other dining options in the area. The best bets are to go to places that have some lineup but not too long so you don't waste too much time just for a place to eat. Luckily after constantly browsing through the Tsukiji Fish market area we found a place! It's called Sushi Zan Mai. Yes it's not one of a kind as it has over 30+ locations in Tokyo but I want to primarily go to places that locals go to and a ton of locals eat here.

As you may or may not have noticed but the Bluefin Tuna is a highly prized fish in Japan and this place just so happened to have bought the most expensive Bluefin Tuna for 2014 which usually gives good fortunes for the year on the restaurant/owner that owns that title for the year and from the looks of it, they are doing pretty well this year based on the popularity of their many locations I passed by throughout Tokyo. It's not the very best cuts of fish but for the prices and quality presented to us, it's a pretty good deal.

For those that don't know what a Chirashi is, it's simple a bowl with rice at the bottom with various kinds of seasonal fish served on top.

Name: Sushi Zan Mai
Website: Click Here
Google Maps: Click Here

Where is the place to get your Chirashi fixing? Let me know!

Chefs hard at work

Miso Soup

Kanpachi and Abalone Sushi

Chirashi-don!

Flying Sushi - Into the Future

Flying sushi is no longer a thing of the future.  You can experience this at Uobei Sushi.

Uobei Sushi  一貫入魂 魚べい 渋谷道玄坂店

Address: Japan, 〒150-0043 Tokyo, Shibuya, Dogenzaka, 2 Chome−29-11 第六ｾﾝﾄﾗﾙﾋﾞﾙ1階
Google Maps: Click Here!
Website: Click Here!
Phone:+81 3-3462-0241

Sure, the plates don't have wings, and the sushi don't come to you on hover boards, but they certainly do "fly" out at you in a mystical and almost magical way.  You will never get the chance to see the people who prepare your food, and it only takes a matter of seconds to minutes for your order to appear.

So here's how it works:
1) You get seated at a bar-like table. All your friends will be seated alongside you. Or you can eat alone. That's a common thing in Japan.

2) You order through a touch screen. There is an English menu. Or you can just go with the colorful pictures and choose what looks appetizing.

 
3) You may order 3 things at a time. There is no limit on how many orders total you can make, and you can make orders as frequently as you want.
4) Serve yourself some matcha green tea! (free of charge)
5) In seconds to minutes, you sushi will "fly" down the rail on plates like a bullet train and stop right in front of you.

Flying sushi too fast to capture on camera!

6) Take your food. Don't forget to return your "train" back into the kitchen!!
7) Enjoy. Repeat steps 3-7 until you have a stack of plates as high as Mt. Fuji.

Couple of items I ordered:
- salmon (average)

- Uni (it was awful, not fresh, and had an odd bitter flavor)

- Orange clam (chewy but fine)

- Geoduck clam (chewy but okay)

- Unagi (average)

- Hokkaido Scallop (surprisingly okay) 

- Fish Roe and Mayo (don't ever get this unless you really super super salty roe!)

- Chu Toro (Fatty Tuna, average/mediorce)

- Conch (not so good, sandy..)

Eating at places like these, there are it's pros and cons:

Pros:
- insanely cheap sushi; the cheapest plate is Y105 per plate (<$1 USD for two pieces of sushi)
- fast food, literally
- a fun and innovative experience
- great for groups and friends because it's just exciting!

Cons:
- when in a group, you are seated linearly
- you don't see the people who are making your sushi
- the quality of the sushi is very mediocre (you get what you pay for!)
- your evil friend sitting just "upstream" of you can snatch your order! Beware!

Ramen Newbie? Try this place and you'll wonder why you waited for so long!

Yes that's right! The worst kept secret is revealed! One of the places to get the various interpretations of ramen is somewhere in Japan. This place is called Ichiran (一蘭) Ramen. Unfortunately they don't like the idea of franchising outside Japan but recently they cave in into allowing one in Hong Kong but I'm sure it took a TON of convincing as Ichiran has been around for over 50 years. Don't get too hopeful on expecting one in the United States anytime soon :(

Their specialty is Tonkotsu Ramen and its soup is pork-based broth. Much like KFC, Ichiran's original red sauce consists of 30 types of spices and it's only known by 3 of their "experts". Their sliced pork is so naturally sweet and complements the broth and noodles very nicely. They claim that they have a special water filtration system in place to make their noodle tastes amazing and easy on the stomach and liver. I can kind of believe this as I have drank their broth completely on multiple occasions and never felt bloated or uneasy at all afterwards. For the health minded individuals, it has 0% trans fats!

On to the details, you have the ability to customize the ramen to your preferences by choosing the following:

• Flavor Strength
• Richness (oiliness)
• Garlic
• Green onion
• Sliced pork (shoulder meat)
• Red Sauce
• Noodle texture

They are so keen to detail that I was able to distinguish the differences in the above (richness and spice level) with my friend's bowl that tagged along to try this place.

Without a doubt, this is a must-try ramen joint in Japan! It is one of the best ramen out there.

Name: Ichiran (一蘭)
Location: Shinjiku branch, 新宿3-34-11 ピースビルB1F, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan 160-0022
(Don't worry they have a ton of branches throughout Japan)
Website: Click Here
Google Maps: Click Here

Order from a Vending Machine

Tickets are printed

Perfectly Cooked Egg!

Victory!

Tastiest Purest Pork Noodle Soup ever

There a place in Shinjiku that serves one of the purest and most tastiest pork noodle soup I have ever had. It's a place called 新宿 やんばる - Yan Baru. Like many of the dining places here, you simply order your food with the vending machine and simply present it to the kitchen staff/cooks and they'll make your order on the spot. This was 2nd time here and I remembered why it was so memorable. Pork Noodle soup sounds very simple but the people here do an amazing job down from the pork meat, the broth, and to the perfectly cooked noodles. For the ones that prefer a little heat to it, they also have the Japanese chili pepper powder on the side to sprinkle. I have no problem recommending people to eat here. I try to steer away from tourist flooded restaurants to get the full authentic experience. I want to eat where the locals eat, not where tourists / tourist friendly places go to eat and this fits that description. The vending machines along with pictures of their food really help the non-Japanese speaking folks (like myself) get by to eating great food without having issues with ordering food.

Highly recommended and for only 880 Japanese yen or a little over $7 USD, you can enjoy a great tasting pork noodle soup during the winter!

Name: 新宿 やんばる - Yan Baru
Website: Click Here
Google Maps: Click Here

Vending Machine

Cauldron of Goodness

Commence Drooling

Manneken Belgian Waffles anyone?

I haven't had Belgian waffles in years and I thought it would be a good time to put this drought away when I recently went to Japan for vacation. There is a place called Manneken that always seems to draw a line in every branch I have passed by. Their secret? Bake fresh waffles throughout the day and display how they are made! They are so fluffy and buttery tasting and it's best served fresh/hot!

These were the flavors they had available and I tried all of them and it was so difficult to choose which was my personal favorite. You might have a similar problem too ;) So it's best to get all of the flavors and decide for yourself. At a mere 140 Japanese Yen or slightly more than $1 USD, it's not costly at all. And best of all, they accept Credit Cards!

Name: Manneken
Location: Shinjiku Station (East Side) - there are many locations throughout Tokyo
Website: Click Here

Almond

Maple

Sweet Purple Yam

Plain

Butter Caramel

Chocolate