A tale of two Tsujita's: Ramen diary (Part 2)

二代目つじ田味噌の章 (Ni-dai-me Tsujita Miso no Shou)

Part 2 of this entry brings us to another branch of Tsujita's ramen - this time, its their shop selling only miso ramen. Located across the intersection from  めん徳二代目つじ田神田御茶の水店  (Men-toku Ni-dai-me Tsujita Kanda Ochanomizu-ten) These two restaurants are wreaking havoc on my diet to say the least.

Miso ramen is a staple hailing from Hokkaido, where the colder climate has moulded a miso based ramen into something fantastically comforting, especially in midwinter. While there are quite a few places that do miso ramen here in Tokyo, there are only a handful that I have enjoyed, Tsujita being one of them.

The shop is smaller than its Tsukemen brethren but seems just as popular. I would recommend going during off hours, just to avoid waiting too long. As usual, purchase your order at the ticket vending and head on in, where a member of staff will usher you to the nearest available seating. This time, I went with the Spicy Miso Ramen with egg 玉子入り辛味噌ラーメン(Tamago-iri kara miso ramen.) Going at a price of 1000 Yen.

Again, in about 10 minutes time, a beautiful steaming bowl of noodles arrives and the deliciousness begins....

Topped with slices of tender, moist chashuu, Japanese leeks, onions, bean sprouts, deeply flavored and darkmenma, a beautiful soft boiled egg and a generous scoop of vermillion spicy miso, this bowl is definitely easy on the eyes.

The golden yellow egg noodles are thinner than that used for tsukemen but still are cooked to al dente perfection. Slurping these springy stands of dough is immensely satisfying and for me, the perfect portion size. (Oomori also available)

The soup is a rich and creamy consistency, highlighted by the specks of lard and the lustrous sheen of piping hot oil on its surface. Make sure you remember that before digging in, the oil can burn your mouth! Before stirring in the spicy miso, I always like to taste the original soup first; a delectable combination of porky goodness and the savory unctuousness of their miso blend. There is a faint aroma of ginger that lingers for just a second before melting into the sweetness of stewed garlic after every sip. This is definitely a soup that a finish without question every time - the stick-to-your ribs goodness cannot be emphasized enough here.

After a few good slurps of the noodles, its time to move onto the add ons; a very pleasant selection to say the least. There is the usual bottle of pulverized garlic which adds a sharp bite of garlic to the broth, a yuzu shichimi which employs the wonderful fragrance of the yuzu citron with a mix of spices and lastly nori - yes, powdered nori, not unlike what you would top your yakisoba or okonimyaki with. The nori adds a nice briny taste to the broth but I would advise a light sprinkle before adding more, as the flavor is quite noticeable.

All in all, this is a great bowl of miso ramen, one of my favorite spots for it, actually.  Slightly on the pricier side, it is well worth every yen. I would recommend anyone in town to try this bowl of Ramen - I hope and am sure you wont be disappointed! 

Head over there next time at:

Address: Chiyoda-ku Kanda Ogawacho 1-1, Tokyo Japan. (東京都千代田区神田小川町1-1）
Open 11:00-23:00 on Weekdays and 11:00-21:00 on Weekends.