Saitama borders Tokyo and covers a lot of ground, yet it doesn’t have many places you could really call great eats. So even though it’s not far from where I live, I’ve hardly ever gone. Honestly, I wasn’t that keen to go this time either, but I had some business there, so I stopped by. Still, who knows when I’ll next be heading out to Saitama ^_^ so I couldn’t pass up a famous spot I’d only ever heard about.
Ganja, a renowned tsukemen shop that can go toe to toe with the big names in Tokyo, is in Kawagoe, Saitama. It’s also famous for letting people in 12 at a time. I went to Rokurinsha once before and came away empty-handed, so I wondered how today would turn out..
The front
From Ikebukuro I took the Tobu Tojo Line for about 40 minutes and arrived at Kawagoe Station. But it turned out to be quite a long walk to Ganja. That’s the trouble with Saitama: there are fewer signposts than in Tokyo, so it’s hard to judge distances from a map alone. One way or another I got there dripping with sweat, and oh no, there were exactly 12 people lined up in front of me. So I waited around 40 minutes, I think. Still, it was better than when I ate at Rokurinsha.
Tsukemen with extra chashu
The chashu is generous. It tastes good too, but there’s so much of it that it actually gets in the way of dipping the noodles. The soup is the double-soup type that’s trendy these days, animal-based plus seafood-based. Clean and well put together. Where Rokurinsha plays up complexity, this place has the orthodox new-wave flavor. The combo of the rich depth of the animal stock and the clean finish of the seafood is perfect. It’s a bit of a shame there are no topping options besides chashu.
The noodles
I’m told they’re house-made. These are the number one tsukemen noodles I’ve had so far. The thick noodles come out cooked just right for a good chew. They don’t undercook them more than necessary just for the springiness, so the flavor of the soup clings to them nicely. Close to a perfect ramen.
Of all the ramen shops I’ve been to lately, this one gave me the most satisfaction. The line gets long, but this place was worth the wait. Once the weather cools off a bit, I don’t think I could ask for anything more. For reference, they’re closed on Sundays and only open from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
After a good meal I did some sightseeing around Kawagoe. Kawagoe still has an old streetscape. Not that it’s anything spectacular..
Toki no Kane, the bell tower
A shop on Kashiya Yokocho, the candy alley
Cheap old-school candy…
The local beer
Apparently it won an award. I tried it out of curiosity, and it was a dark beer so rich it reminded me of coffee. Tasty, but not the refreshing kind of flavor that suits summer. I should have bought something else. Lately I keep drinking in the daytime. I’m not turning into an alcoholic, am I ^_^
I slowly walked back out and caught the train to my next destination.
Another busy day today..