0
This little shop called 麺屋帝旺, which for sake of simplicity and lack of an English name I will call Emperor Noodle Shop, is located in the heart of Tokyo. With banners on the storefront that says 辛油そば (or spicy soba), it actually serves ramen and tsukemen as well. Many of us may be familiar with ramen and not tsukemen, which is similar to ramen but the noodles for tsukemen come separated from the soup and are eaten by dipping them in the soup. As with many individual shops in Japan, Emperor serves only a handful of selections. I guess it makes deciding what to eat easier and allows the chef to focus on making each item perfectly.
Without an English name, it might make finding this place difficult. But because it’s located on a major street, it shouldn’t be too troublesome to find. There’s more than one train that can take you to this restaurant but for simplicity and with visitors in mind, I recommend taking the JR Yamanote Line to Otsuka station. From there, take the south exit and locate the red Mitsubishi UFJ bank. Keep walking straight along the road (Minami Otsuka dori) to the left of the bank for 5-10 minutes until you see the store. Map below.
The store is completely English-free. It is also very small and able to hold about 10 people, but if you want to experience a traditional Japanese ramen restaurant, this would be a nice environment. I decided to have a tonkotsu ramen (とんこつ or 豚骨 or pork bone ramen) for ¥650.
From where you sit, you will be able to watch the cooks make your noodles. The noodles are tossed in a netted scoop and placed in a large pot of boiling water. Once ready, the scoop comes out of the water and is swung hard towards the floor. I believe this helps get rid of excess water.
The bowl of ramen didn’t look as appealing as some of the other ramen I’ve tried in Tokyo. Still, the noodles proved to be very delicious. They were the perfect texture. On top of that, the broth was super rich it felt as if I was eating ramen with pork bone sauce, not broth. The ramen included a slice of pork, half an egg, some bamboo shoots, and a piece of seaweed which were all delicious toppings. But it was no doubt the noodles and broth that made this meal memorable.
If you’re in the area, I’d say it’s worth the try, especially if rich broth is your thing. Cheers!
Related posts:
Back to top