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)
Tsujita Ramen is a place I frequently visit here in Tokyo. Located unreasonably close to my office, it usually wins against my battle with the bulge.At this particular location, a second generation store of the Tsujita empire (branches also found in Los Angeles and Bangkok!.) This Tsujita Specializes in つけ麺(tsukemen), a style of ramen that Tokyoites can call their own. Essentially, tsukemen are noodles that are dipped into an extremely concentrated broth and slurped. Much like the quintessential Zaru-Soba noodles, it is a delicious treat.
This particular shop gets very busy during the lunch and dinner rush so it is not unusual to see people lining up during these times. My recommendation is to visit before noon are after 2 pm, where you can get seated fairly soon if not immediately. Upon purchasing your order from the ticket vending machine, a member of their staff will escort you to an available seat.
I got the 二代目つけめん (Ni-dai-me Tsukemen) which is 980 Yen a bowl. From here on out, we start getting into the good stuff...
The noodles arrived after about 10 minutes and even the normal sized serving contains a considerable volume of egg noodles, cooked to the perfect slightly-firm consistency. The medium thick, glistening noodles are accompanied by what can make or break a ramen restaurant- the broth; and boy does Tsujita not dissapoint.
The bowl is adorned with sliced chashuu pork a soft cooked marinated egg and a healthy sprinkling of menma (marinated bamboo shoots). The noodles come in a separate bowl with a sheet of nori and a half slice of Sudachi - a Japanese citrus fruit that lends a nice zing and aroma to the noodles.
With the primary stock made up of fish, that is the immediate flavor that hits you with the first slurp. It is a concentrated shot of creamy goodness which is mellowed out by a blend of Tonkotsu (Pork bone broth), Konbu dashi (Kelp Stock) and Tori-no-gara (Chicken Stock.) The result is a rich tasting broth that does not overwhelm with the pork or fish flavors. Even with the oil content of this broth, it doesn't taste overtly greasy, much to the protest of my thighs.
Since the noodles are chilled before serving, the gradually cooling broth after every dip does feel a little heavier towards the end, but even so, this is only a minor detail that does not detract from the enjoyment of this meal - especially if you hold off squeezing the Sudachi over your noodles until the last few bites.
According to the menu at Tsujita, the best way to enjoy their tsukemen is in the following manner:
After finishing 1/3rd of your noodles, squeeze in the Sudachi juice. When you get to the last 1/3rd of the noodles, add a generous sprinkling of their famous black chili blend "黒七味" (Kuro-shichi-mi).
These steps gently alter flavor profile of the tsukemen and it is indeed a wonderful and well thought out progression. I would certainly recommend this place to anyone seeking a good noodle joint in Tokyo.
Address: Chiyoda-ku Kanda Ogawacho 1-4, Tokyo Japan. (東京都千代田区神田小川町1-4）
Open 11:00-23:00 on Weekdays and 11:00-21:00 on Weekends.
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