I’d enjoyed my meal at the Ikebukuro branch, but I still found myself wanting to try the main shop. My headphones had broken too, so I headed out to Nakano.
The building
The line is seriously long.
Today I ordered the special tsukemen.
It’s the taste of proper, orthodox chuka soba. A notch above the branch. I was glad I’d made the trip.
The noodles
A whole different level from the branch. The springiness is no joke. There’s a reason it’s called one of Tokyo’s top shops. If you ever have business in Nakano, drop by at least once.
These days you see branches all over town, but with this place you really have to go to the main shop to taste the real thing. That said, unless you’re a ramen maniac, I don’t think it’s worth a special trip all the way to Nakano… Opening branches to make money and build a name is fine, and so is protecting the main shop’s flavor, but you shouldn’t confuse the two. Don’t expect the flavor at the branches, and don’t expect service at the main shop…
By the way, for the headphones I bought a used pair of Sennheiser HD-25 SP2s. Why is it that every pair of headphones that works with small portable players has such lousy design… I had no choice but to buy a decent pair, even if pricey. They cost a lot more than my original budget, but I got a like-new used pair for about half the street price, so I’ve got no complaints. Got to listen to them plenty before it gets any hotter…