あちお
I visited "Itoi" located in the Yaesu underground shopping area right next to Tokyo Station. It is one of the ramen shops in Tokyo Ramen Yokocho. I heard that the only other ramen shop in this alley besides Fuunji is operated by Kabushiki Gaisha. Well, as long as it tastes good, it doesn't really matter, haha. Since there was no line here at 8:00 PM, I decided to eat here. I had just returned from a Shinkansen ride and was exhausted, so no line was a relief. I looked through the menu and thought about getting the normal miso ramen, but I was in the mood for green onions, so I ordered that instead.
- Green Onion Miso Ramen ¥1030
They offered extra bean sprouts for free, but I asked for the normal amount. While waiting, I checked out the place. There were three people working in the kitchen, and a woman was cooking. She was very efficient. She stir-fried the bean sprouts in a wok and then moved them somewhere. It seems that the bean sprouts are added on top without being boiled in the soup. There were white pepper, shichimi, and Sansho powder on the table, all from GABAN. I didn't know GABAN had Sansho powder. The seating was a bit cramped, not the best environment. It seems they prioritize quick turnover and don't want customers to linger too long, which seems effective.
And then the ramen arrived. It was served in a large bowl. The soup was creamy and based on white miso, well-seasoned with a hint of sweetness. Miso ramen rarely disappoints, and this one was no exception. I could taste a hint of garlic in it. If you add miso, garlic, ground meat, and lard, you can't really go wrong with miso ramen, haha. The noodles were medium-thick and had a decent chewiness. The green onions and bean sprouts were crunchy. There was quite a lot of vegetables, so at the beginning, when I lifted the noodles, I also grabbed some vegetables. If they added more bean sprouts, I might have forgotten whether I was eating ramen or vegetables. The chashu was average, not good or bad. There were slices of chashu and diced chashu. Overall, it was a stable and creamy miso ramen. Rating: ★3.5. It was stable, but creating an outstanding miso ramen is difficult, and this shop didn't have that unique point that would make me go out of my way to eat here. It might be worth stopping by if you're in the area, but I wouldn't make a special trip. My tongue felt a bit tingly after eating, so they used MSG sparingly. Thank you for the meal.