On this trip I put a ramen shop back on the itinerary for the first time in a while. Because it is delicious, obviously! And also because it is an easy place to go alone. A few years ago I did a big tour of Tokyo ramen shops, and the trend has changed a lot since then. These days it feels like the mainstream is shops that use good ingredients without holding back.

Tsuta in Sugamo is famous for its long line, so I went 30 minutes before opening, but I still ended up waiting an hour to eat. All the big-name ramen shops seem to be like this these days. And of course if you turn up late, it is a 2 to 3 hour wait.

The front entrance

Very clean. When I first walked past there was no line at all, so I was not sure this was really the famous ramen shop, but the line is around the side of the building.

A photo I took after arriving 30 minutes before opening

I think there were about 15 people ahead of me. Which means you still have to wait a good while even after they open. Then again, if you come an hour before opening you end up waiting an hour anyway, so it makes little difference.

The kitchen

It was run by two people. One seemed to be the chef and the other the assistant.

Apparently they made it into the Michelin Guide.

Starting in 2015, some 20 well-known ramen shops in the city got listed in the Michelin Guide, and this place is apparently one of them. It already has a line, so having a guide like this recommend it too is not exactly welcome news.

What makes this shop’s ramen special

They say they use carefully selected, quality ingredients

Shoyu Soba

The shop is famous for its shoyu ramen, so I ordered its most famous dish. The clean, crisp broth, the noodles cooked al dente, and the high-quality toppings.. everything is what you would expect from a top-class ramen shop.

The noodles

The thin noodles went really well with the shoyu broth.

Ajitama topping

A simple topping like this suits shoyu ramen well.

Chashu-don

At ramen shops where the broth is really good, I sometimes order the chashu-don too. It is so I can pour the broth over the rice and enjoy it right to the end. The chashu-don here looked great and went well with the broth. A very successful side dish.

한국어로 읽기日本語で読む