Near Shinjuku’s West Exit there’s a little alley lined with skewer joints called Omoide Yokocho. The area has always had a certain vibe, so apart from tourists and older guys, not many people drop in. It’s about as down-to-earth as it gets. Wakatsuki is an old ramen shop that has been in business there for a long time.
The front
The sign says house-made, hand-cut noodles. The flavor isn’t anything special, honestly. But the price is ridiculously cheap: 450 yen gets you a perfectly decent bowl of ramen. It seems salarymen often use it for a quick bite before heading home.
Their famous shio yakisoba (salt-seasoned fried noodles).
The guy next to me was eating it and the noodles looked nice and springy, so I figured it’d be good and ordered it, but… no, this isn’t it. The noodles are thick and there’s hardly any sauce, so all you really taste is flour.
On a roll, I order the ramen too.
The chashu and menma are a bit weak, but the broth is wonderfully clean and refreshing. I honestly couldn’t believe it at this price. The house-made noodles, unlike in the yakisoba, go really well with the broth. It used to be 400 yen and has gone up to 450, but it’s still amazing value for money. If you don’t expect too much, this is plenty to make you happy.
Since the start of the year, ramen prices have been creeping up little by little. You don’t really feel it yet, but things are gradually getting more expensive. I hope we make it through this year okay… who knows how it’ll turn out.