らーめん 526

So here it is! What we`ve all been waiting for, drum roll please... Ramen 526 (Ramen Kojiro (ラーメンコジロウ))! Went by this evening early enough to get my hands on the shop`s "self-titled" Ramen, and it was really good, as per usual! More on that later...




OK, so Ramen 526 is a little hole in the wall Ramen shop just a short walk from the station, and just a short walk from my place. They (like the original, and legendary Ramen Jiro (ラーメン次郎)) have few choices (Jiro has 1 choice from what I hear), but just serve up baddass Ramen. The #1 recommendation is simply called "Ramen 526" and is served up for 800円. Ramen 526 is a soup-less ramen and it rocks! Comes with some cabbage, and some bean sprouts and a couple of pieces of meat. I usually add some dried chili pepper and some other spicy stuff as well as some curry powder, but it`s not necesary, but be sure to mix well as the oil is on the bottom and it`s difficult to eat without lubricating your noodle properly. Here she is!Next on the list is the standard, familiar soup-full ramen. As always I will talk about the Shoyu/Chasyu men (しょう油チャーシュー麺) that I always get at any standard ramen shop. Here it runs the same price as the TM ramen, 800円 but you can make it an large (大盛り) for only 200円 more... don`t do it unless you can pack away a lot! The big size is easily 3 time a normal serving anywhere else. (pictured is the regular size (並盛)) The big size is easily 3 times a normal serving anywhere else. Crammed into a big bowl is about 600g of noodles plus a ton of cabbage (キャベツ) and bean sprouts (もやし). It's a gut-busting challenge (and mistake) that i will most likely take on once. The 1st time I went I ordered 大盛り thinking it would be like a normal 大盛り anywhere. I was warned by the staff a couple of times, but I figured they just doubted my eating prowess... my bad. About 1/3 of the way through i was done. I managed to struggle to about the half way point, but that was it. The next several times I went in I was teased about not getting 大盛り... it was all in good fun. The shop master and his assistant are always really nice, not always chatty, but cool none the less. 1 mistake I repeatedly make is ordering beer. A bottle of beer (瓶ビール) is 550, comparable to anywhere around, but it`s just too much to take along with the ramen, so I recommend giving yourself a good hour or so after (and a visit to the bathroom) to clear some space to drink beer. A good nap will do you good too!

Finished! (完食！)
T: 9
P: 8
F$: 7
B$: 7
V: 10
A: 7
S: 8
X: 7

Total score: 63/70

らーめん一丁

The first restaurant I wanted to talk about on here is a place just down the way called "Ramen Itcho". It`s obviously a ramen shop, and it`s one of the places that made me fall in love with this place.








The 1st thing you notice about Ramen Itcho is that it is one of the only places in Yukigaya that you can eat outside, this is a big bonus! The 2nd thing that you`ll notice is that the couple who runs the place are rad! The "master", the husband is fairly quiet, but seems very nice, and the wife is just a bundle of super-charged energy that always smiles, and always remembers my order. The prices at the place are a little on the expensive side, but reasonable none the less. A bowl of Chashu-men (チャーシュー麺), which is what I measure any ramen shop with, will run you 800円 whereas a bowl of standard soy sauce ramen (しょう油ラーメン)will cost you 550円, Up-size (大盛り) is a very reasonable 100円. A big bottle of beer (瓶ビール) will run you 500 which is very reasonable in Tokyo. One of the sets available is to add a small rice and 3 gyoza (小ライス+餃子) to your order for only 200円. Several toppings are available, ranging from 100-300円.
As for the flavor of the ramen, in general it is very serviceable. It`s not the best ramen in Yukigaya, but the biggest reason to visit is the chance to sit out on the street on a sunny day (or a cold winter night, as I have done) with a big ol` beer and a calm breeze.T: 5
P: 6
F$: 7
B$: 7
V: 6
A: 8
S: 9
X: 9
Total score: 57/80