Monthly Archives

February 2015

Tokyo

Doraichi

I was in town to run the Tokyo Marathon and ready for carbo-loading at my favorite restaurants. So many ramen choices in Japan where does one really start. For me this warrants a trip to Doraichi for its famously delicious tan tan men shiru nashi (without soup). Basically spicy noodles minus the broth with a heap of miso flavored ground pork, lots of chopped green onion and raw egg yolk. Mix like crazy and you get a beautiful mess. If the raw egg turns you off try not to think too hard about it. Once mixed in it’s hardly noticeable but nicely coats the noodles just right to give you license to slurp away. I don’t know if safety inspection of Japanese eggs are the reason it’s okay to consume them as is but in my lifetime of eating raw eggs in Japan I never got sick. Knock on wood but tastes so darn good. Ramen boy was not on this trip with me but he would have ordered the tan tan men with soup. Until next time.

Doraichi
2-12-5 Minami Azabu
Minato-ku, Tokyo
www.doraichi.com

doraichi

Packaged Ramen

Ippudo Tonkotsu Ramen

Ramen boy was in for a huge treat when my Japanese girlfriend found this instant packaged ramen in a 7-Eleven convenience store during her trip to Tokyo and brought it back for him. She knew ramen boy is a huge fan of Ippudo Ramen. We moved from Tokyo after the big earthquake in 2011 and he was having Ippudo Ramen withdrawal. I warned him that this might not taste the same but to give it a try. The soup base was liquid and all you needed to add was hot water and the noodles were freeze dried. Very easy to make and surprisingly very good too. He raved about it and only wished that she bought more. I will have to look for it the next time I go to Japan.

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