Nowadays there's few people around the world who don't know about ramen; it's probably Japan's most well known dish after sushi. Having lived and traveled around Japan for some years already, I've tried quite a decent selection myself. From well known ramen chains, to small town cheap places, to the fabled Michelin-starred Tsuta. From soy sauce, to tomato, to tonkotsu (pork bones). From Hokkaido, to Tokyo, to Fukuoka. I wouldn't say any of this makes me an expert (like I may be with PB&Js), but I think I've tried enough to have an informed opinion.
A somewhat related modern phenomenon is how easy it is to look for restaurants. Do you want to impress a date with a nice French place for dinner? Read some Yelp reviews. Looking for recommendations of Thai restaurants? Tripadvisor works... And yet, most people would agree that none of that can replace the knowledge that locals possess. If you visit a friend's "turf" and you tell them about a restaurant you read about, chances are they will say something like: "Ah, that's not bad, but if you want to eat delicious $X$, you should go to $Y$!". There are always gems that get lost in the unending list of places and ratings online; places whose true value is only known by people on the ground. With that said, I wish to introduce to you all to one of these gems that I found in my years around Tokyo: 燈郎 (とうろう, Tourou), a ramen place located about 5 minutes from Shinkoiwa Station, east of Tokyo.
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| On a random avenue, close to a random station... |
There's no much fanfare with regards to its facade as you can see. While it's not hidden in an alleyway, there's nothing particularly eye-catching about it. It's a small place with a sign in Japanese and a small window and door that let's you see the counter-only seating for around 10 people. The type of place that would be easily overlooked if you were just walking by... Or so it would be, except that there always seems to be a line of people waiting to go in. I've been several times and there hasn't been a single one where I didn't need to wait at least 20 minutes in line.
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| You know a restaurant is good if it has a sign explaining how to line up outside so as not to block the street. |
While lining up, one of the employees will come to take you in so you can order from a machine. They will then ask you about the quantity of vegetables and whether you want garlic or not. You then return to the line to wait for a seat to open.
Talking about orders, the menu consists of ramen, tsukemen, and abura soba. It's nothing special until you notice the type of broth for some of them: curry. While not unheard off in some areas, if you mention curry ramen to Japanese people outside of those, they'll give you a weird look and more than likely ask: "Do you mean curry udon?". In addition, while in most places you can order extra toppings like eggs, Tourou also offers some rather unexpected extras like cheese or steak. It had been a while, so I went for the classic: a (normal sized) curry ramen bowl with (a standard amount of vegetables) and garlic on the side.
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| Several choices, all good. Note the picture on the right corner to get an idea of the size. |
This will cost you 980 yen, towards the expensive side for a bowl of ramen. But let me tell you: if we go by the size of the portions, it's certainly worth every cent yen. As you can see in the pictures, even the standard size bowl is pretty decent by itself and it's completely packed beyond the brim; something that your average ramen place won't come even close to matching. The eagle-eyed (and Japanese reading) among you may also have noticed that in the vending machine picture above, there's a sign in the left corner that states that the normal size contains 200g of noodles! I've never ordered the mid ot big versions, but I've seen people get them and the size of those bowls is ridiculous. Even for the mini size, it's not uncommon for people to be unable to eat it all, so much so that the counter has the following sign:
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"Costumers who can't finish eating: don't force yourselves, it's ok to leave leftovers. Overeating is not good for the body."
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This is all well and good, but if the taste was meh or just passable, it would be a chore rather than a pleasurable experience. The fact that I'm writing this post should tell you that there's no point in even entertaining that idea. Even if the portions were to be halved, the taste itself would be more than enough to compensate for the price. And so let us start with the meat of the review:
As any pro ramen eater would tell you, the first step to eating a bowl (other than appreciating it's aesthetic) is to get a sip of the soup, so let's start there:
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| Not what I got this last time, but you need to see the version with steak. |
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| Now this one is the one that made me write this post. |
The thick broth is made out a base of サバ (mackerel), with pork and curry spices added into it, giving it an intense brown color. The type of curry is difficult to discern; I would say it's a variation of traditional Japanese curry but with a higher proportion of spices like cumin and turmeric; and perhaps with a few others, like fennel, added. It ends up being spicier compared to the almost sweet standard Japanese kind. Descriptions do it no justice though, the broth is out of this world. An almost stew like consistency, the intense flavor of the spices, the umami from pork that was simmered inside for hours... one sip is enough to determine how good a given ramen will be, and this one certainly let's you know you're in for a treat.
Next, you should try the noodles and vegetables. Compared to standard Tokyo ramen, the wheat noodles at Tourou are rather thick and straight; similar to udon (but flatter and denser) or Yokohama style ramen. Whether you prefer thicc or thin noodles is partly based on taste, but considering the assertiveness of the broth they are in, I think they're quite appropriate. Thinner noodles would quickly get lost in the mouth, while the thicker ones maintain their presence and give a slight chewy texture that matches pretty well with the soup.
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Note the how the noodles put the thicc in the ramen.
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As for the vegetables (which you should submerge in the broth!), you get a mountain of もやし (sprouts), scallions, and chopped onions. Flavor-wise they don't really add much to a mouthful, but they play a vital role in the picture as a whole: Given the richness of the broth and the texture of the noodles, the vegetables give freshness and a crisp bite that is welcomed. As strong as the broth and the meat are, it's thanks to the vegetables that the flavor never becomes overwhelming and the balance is not broken.
And finally, the last standard topping: the チャーシュー (chāshū, roasted pork meat in few words). Made out of what seems to be pork loin or belly, Tourou's chāshū is much thicker and bigger than in most ramen places, both inside and outside of Tokyo. At standard places, you get 2 to 3 small thin slices of chāshū; while here you get a big piece of meat with a thickness of around 3-4 times that of normal ramen chāshū. I have no idea at which point in the broth making process the chāshū is added, but it's clear that it spent several hours simmering in the soup: The meat is so soft it melts in your mouth and it's impregnated with the curry flavor to its core. Yet, it still possesses that delicious flavor and meat texture that only fatty pork has.
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| The word "succulent" was created to describe this piece of chāshū. |
As usual, the total is greater than the sum of its parts. Every second of wait and having gone out of my way to eat here (there's not much in Shinkoiwa) was totally worth it. The only breaks I took while eating were the ones where I took some picture to post here. We're almost at the end, but there's one more thing to mention:
By the end, even if you try to keep the ratio of broth to noodles constant (as a pro ramen eater should), you eventually have some leftover broth. By then most people are satisfied, but if you still have some space in your stomach, you can always ask for a small amount of rice (for free!) to mix in with the broth and finish it. 言うまでもなく, I went for that. The last little bonus is that the pork meat that was simmered with the broth breaks up into little pieces that end up the bottom of the bowl. Rice + curry ramen broth + little pieces of meat and vegetables = second heaven.
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| Curry risotto? |
I'll give Tourou's curry ramen a rating of around 4.5 out 5 stars. If you ever go to Tokyo and feel like eating a delicious bowl of ramen, be sure to give Tourou a try. It may be relatively far from most famous tourist spots (relatively close to Akiba and Disneyland though!), but you certainly won't be disappointed. A warning/advice: Make sure to order a paper bib, it's almost impossible not to get the soup in your clothes!
Name: ラーメン燈郎 (Ramen Tourou)
Hours: 11:30am - 1:30pm , 6pm - 10pm
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