Monday, July 12, 2010

The best ramen in the world is still the best ramen in the world

One of the things I had to do on our trip to Japan last month was return to the place that defines ramen for me: Yo! Teko-ya (or Yotteko-ya) in Odaiba.  I wrote about this place after my first visit there, and I have never had ramen that good before or since, in either Japan or New York.  (Some places come close, but none have quite gotten there.)  That includes the other Yo! Tekoya location in Shinjuku - don't assume that Japanese "chains" all have the exact same stuff.  Most smaller chains are just independently operated stores, like franchises in this country.

Anyway, it was a little different this time!  But still amazing.  For review, this is what I got on my first visit:


And this was my bowl last month:


This was that same bowl five minutes later:


I ransacked that ramen.

This was shoyu ramen, which is a soy sauce based broth.  I did not get shoyu ramen last time; I believe I got spicy ramen.  Anyway, this was unlike any shoyu ramen I've ever had - it was very rich for shoyu ramen, with a lot of marrow melted in there, and a lot of pork flavor.  It was the best ramen broth I have ever had.  And the pork!  It's a cliche, but the pork literally melted in my mouth.  I am not being at all hyperbolic.  I finally understood the appeal of pork fat.  Usually when I get ramen, the pork is kind of chewy and the fat is a big reason why; this pork was prepared properly and the fat, while solid sitting in the bowl, just turned to jello as soon as it hit the inside of my mouth.  It was delicious.

The whole thing was prepared a little differently than my bowl a couple years ago - maybe they have some new cooks in there.  But it was just as good.  You have to go to this place if you visit Tokyo.  It's in Odaiba, DECKS Tokyo Beach, ground floor.

About This Blog

This is increasingly not a blog about Alphabet City, New York. I used to live in the East Village and work on Avenue B, but I no longer do. Why don't I change the name if I'm writing about Japan and video games and guitars? Because New Yorkers are well-rounded people with varied interests, and mine have gone increasingly off the rails over the years. And I don't feel like changing the name. I do still write about New York City sometimes.

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