Yesterday (Tuesday, November 8, 2022), I had dinner at "Menya Gotou" in Komagome, Toshima-ku, Tokyo. I had previously mentioned my first experience with tsukemen at a restaurant in Takadanobaba called "Benten" in the late 1990s or early 2000s. The owner of "Benten" had learned the taste of "Oshokken" through frequent visits, and it seems that "Menya Gotou" also respects Oshokken. However, I had only been to "Benten" and had never visited Oshokken or "Menya Gotou." Recently, the concept of supporting a favorite restaurant or "oshi" has become popular, but it's important to support them while you can because things can change over time. "Oshokken" no longer exists, and "Menya Gotou" has relocated from Ikebukuro to Komagome. I arrived at the restaurant around 20 minutes before it opened at 5:30 pm. The restaurant is located underground near the south exit of the station. Despite its popularity, there were few people waiting for the opening. I purchased tickets from the vending machine for a Chashu Ramen, 4 Wan Tan toppings, and extra green onions. The ramen arrived in about 8 minutes, and I found it delicious. I won't analyze it in detail, but it was satisfying.

Mori Chashu for 1050 yen. The Mori Soba is also comforting. It's delicious, but as the comforting flavor fades when the dipping sauce cools down, it gets tough to finish towards the end. The amount of noodles is sufficient without needing more. In other shops, I usually eat about 400g of noodles before they are cooked. I feel like the ramen option might be the better choice. The chashu has a flavor I like, so I was able to enjoy eating it. But maybe it was a bit too much, it might have been more than I needed for lunch.

On a regular Monday, I arrived at the restaurant at 7:15 PM and there were already 3 customers inside. Surprisingly, my tsukemen donburi arrived quickly (lol). If this is a recreation of the old Daishoken, then it seems like the ramen and tsukemen have improved a lot. As a high school student, I would rate myself at level 5, but now I feel like I've leveled up to 70. [Regarding the review] This is purely my subjective opinion. I like to keep track of the time for scheduling purposes, so I take notes on the waiting time, entry time, and serving time. Everyone has different taste preferences, so I also include a rating for customer service.

"Menya Gotou" has been in business for a quarter of a century. Looking back, at that time, I was in a semi-basement of an apartment building on Rikkyo Street, just off the west exit of Ikebukuro. There was a popular ramen shop on the second floor, but it closed due to certain issues. There was also "Menya Kaishin" nearby at one point. In Ikebukuro west exit, "Elbis" and "Komen" also had long lines. There was a time when I was hooked on "Nantsutten" as well. Many popular shops have faded away over time, but "Menya Gotou" has steadily continued for 25 years. There are many long-time fans like me. Lately, I see fewer young people. There are more elderly customers with white or no hair... Oh, come to think of it, my hairline is also becoming a concern. (laughs) The picture is taken when it was completely dark outside, so it looks a bit dim. The "Wantanmen" (1,000 yen) is as shown in the photo. I've reviewed it many times, but I can't explain it well. Gotou's taste is unique to Gotou, but also reminiscent of that time at that shop. It's like trying to explain your mother's miso soup; my analytical skills just don't work. No matter how I try to explain it, the part I really want to convey can't be put into words. It's like being in a state of Oda Kazumasa. ♪ I'm so happy to see you, I'm so happy, I can't put it into words, lalala lalala lala lala lalala... Thank you for the meal. (By Kyoka Shuukuu, 2023.8.28) (521 reviews/3.71)

There is a ramen shop in front of Komagome Station. It seems to be affiliated with Higashi-Ikebukuro Daikokuken. The shop is located slightly underground, with a simple layout mainly consisting of a counter and one table. It has a slightly old but clean feel. The staff are friendly, with a brisk lady managing the floor and a humble owner. The shop was not too crowded around 12:30 on a weekday, but it quickly filled up. The customers were mostly solo male diners, but there were also elderly women dining alone. The menu offers ramen, Mori soba, and wonton. They also serve sake and beer. I paid 1,130 yen for ramen (800 yen) and green onion wonton (330 yen). The food was served in about 5 minutes. The ramen was delicious, with a traditional soy sauce flavor infused with bonito and dried sardines. The thick and chewy noodles were quite prominent. The chashu was tender and flavorful, and the green onion wonton was meaty and tasty. Overall, it was a satisfying meal with generous portions. I would like to try the Mori soba next time.

During the summer, I am exploring the East Ikebukuro Daikokuya series, and I decided to revisit my favorite restaurant to have their Mori soba. It all started with a whim, but this exploration of the East Ikebukuro Daikokuya series has turned out to be surprisingly fun and has been adding color to my summer (laughs). From the highly rated Sayama Daikokuya to other delicious finds, the Daikokuya series tour has been getting more and more exciting. Since I love this place so much, I decided to revisit the restaurant that I have been a fan of for a long time as part of my comparison tasting. Although it is no longer talked about in the media or by famous foodies, this restaurant is one of the oldest and most famous in the East Ikebukuro Daikokuya series. They are not a branch but an independent establishment, so they don't have the Daikokuya sign, but they are probably the top-rated among the East Ikebukuro Daikokuya series on food review websites like Tabelog and Rakuten Dining. I love this restaurant. I arrived just before the Saturday opening at 10:55, but couldn't get in on the first round and became the first in line outside. Today's order: Mori Chashu Soba ¥1,050, Wantan (dumplings) ¥200, Menma (seasoned bamboo shoots) ¥100. When it comes to Daikokuya, Mori soba is the signature dish, but this place is known for its delicious ramen. However, my current Daikokuya tour is focused on Mori soba, so today I will have Mori soba. The dipping sauce has a light and refreshing taste with a hint of seafood umami. It is not very sweet, and there is a slight acidity that gives a cool sensation. It is an old-fashioned style, very simple, and the flavor is somewhat lighter compared to other Daikokuya series, but it has a lingering deliciousness. As you eat more, you start to feel the subtle umami of seafood and animal-based broths, which becomes more and more addictive. The ramen is just so delicious, but the tsukemen (dipping noodles) are also really good. The noodles are medium-thick straight noodles made with plenty of water. They are fresh and have a great chewy texture, making them very satisfying to slurp. The aroma of wheat is also strong. The Daikokuya series is known for its delicious noodles. Although the dipping sauce is light, the noodles have a strong presence, so the balance may actually be just right. And the toppings are delicious. First, the chashu (roast pork). It is tender and juicy with a melt-in-your-mouth texture, and the flavor is rich and tasty. While I also enjoy rare chashu or charred roast pork, this old-fashioned braised pork is also really delicious. I recommend adding extra chashu. The menma is also delicious with a good texture, slightly sweet, well-seasoned, and tasty. When you add extra chashu and menma, you feel like you are having a feast and it makes you feel really luxurious (laughs). Lastly, the soup split. The scent of bonito is strong, and the umami of seafood gets a boost. The animal-based broth also adds to the richness. The light and refreshing soup transforms into a concentrated umami-rich soup that is quite intense. Delicious! It keeps you entertained until the very end. I still love this restaurant. I will come back again. Thank you for the meal.

On this day, I visited Menya Goto in Komagome for the 11th time! Visit date: 2023.08.09 (Wed) Clear 27°C Humidity 96% After work ramen! Around 3 pm on this day, there was a thunderstorm, but it stopped after a few hours. However, when I left the office, I felt a stifling humidity approaching... When I checked, the humidity was 96%, and it was extremely muggy (´Д`). Walking in this humid weather felt impossible, so I decided to reschedule and head to Menya Goto! It's located just a 1-minute walk from Komagome Station! Arrived〜♬ There were empty seats inside the restaurant!〜Entering〜I buy a meal ticket at the entrance! As I mentioned before, in this era of high prices, I'm very happy with the low pricing here! I ordered the "Special Morisoba with extra green onions" ☝️ There are 8 counter seats, 1 table with 4 seats, totaling 12 seats. I was guided to the counter, seated, and handed over my meal ticket. Water is self-service, and the staff is a one-man operation. The owner, as always, is moving briskly! Looking around, there were 5 other customers, and about half of the seats were filled!◆ Soon after, the meal arrived〜♬ｷﾀ━━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━━!! Overall, it looks like this♬ In the "Special Morisoba with extra green onions," I'll dig in right away!◉≪Dipping sauce≫ Other than the noodles, most of the toppings are served in this bowl The thin dipping sauce is soy sauce-based, combining pork and chicken broth with dried fish and seafood ingredients. It's a fairly standard dipping sauce, but the rich umami flavor of the broth is well-presented with no shortcuts! The soup, carefully prepared by the dedicated owner, is very delicious.◉≪Noodles≫ I dunk the noodles into the dipping sauce and mix them well in the bowl (This is important!) Alright, let's eat〜(=´∀｀)人(´∀｀=) The noodles are homemade and made in-house at the store! They are thick noodles with a loose wave. Although they are finished with water, they have a strong chewy texture rather than firmness. The surface is smooth and slippery, with a rich wheat flavor unique to homemade noodles, making them very delicious. Oh, Menya Goto is in the lineage of Daikokuken in Higashi-Ikebukuro, so the default generous noodle portion is also great!◉≪Toppings≫ There's plenty of crunchy menma, with a unique flavor and a soft texture that leaves a good impression. The chashu is thick and substantial, with a good size. The pork is very tender and full of flavor. It's worth adding more chashu for an additional 120 yen, so it's definitely worth it! I forgot to take a picture, but I ordered extra green onions, so I was happy to have green onions throughout, making it a blissful experience (I love green onions).◉≪Flavor customization time≫ I add garlic and chili bean paste from the table to the soup, transforming it into a punchy soup, which is also a fun part of the meal. It's really delicious, you know❤︎❤︎ I finished it in no time! I express my gratitude and leave the restaurant＼(^o^) ／*Oh, it was delicious! The dipping sauce is delicious in a traditional way, with a generous amount of noodles that even men would be satisfied with, and the price is only 800 yen by default, which I think is truly wonderful❣️I'm happy today❤︎ Thank you for the meal➤➤➤I plan to upload the blog later!!https://uzic.blog.fc2.com/

Komagome Station is a place I usually just pass by without getting off, but I happened to come by car and found it easy to park near the road, so I decided to stop by. The access from the station was quite good, and when I went down the stairs underground, the interior of the shop looked a bit old but had an atmosphere that seemed to offer good ramen. I ordered extra chashu at the ticket machine, but I didn't expect it to be tsukemen. I wanted to eat regular chashu ramen, so I felt a little disappointed, but the chashu was delicious and the noodles were good, being medium thick. However, I still felt that the lukewarm soup was a mistake in my order.

"Menya Goto" is a popular restaurant that originated from the famous "Tokyo Ikebukuro Daishoken" and relocated from Toshima Ward, Ikebukuro to Komagome. Established in 1998, they are known for their ramen priced at 800 yen. The writer compares the softness of "Menya Goto" to the strength of "Takinogawa Daishoken" and humorously mentions how the brightness of the interior could change the atmosphere. Despite the hot and humid weather in Tokyo, the writer enjoys their ramen with soft noodles. The review ends with a reference to the missing "Infinity Stone" of a half-boiled egg in the ramen.

While transferring from Tokyo Metro Komagome Station to JR Komagome Station, I was looking for a place to have lunch and came across this restaurant. It's located about a 2-minute walk from Komagome Station, in a half-basement of a building. Inside, there is a ticket machine on the right where I purchased a ramen for 800 yen. Since it was full, a staff member came to collect my ticket and I waited outside for a while. The main seating inside is at the counter, with only one table available. The taste of the soup reminded me of a flavor I had somewhere before. It brought back memories of the now-closed "Menya Daito" in Ko-Edo-machi. The chashu was delicious as usual. The seasoning of the menma was quite mild, I wish it had a bit more flavor. Overall, I enjoyed my meal.

I was feeling hungry, but I have a dinner meeting at 7:00, so if I eat something now at 6:00, I won't be able to eat at the dinner. But I'm hungry... As I was struggling in my mind, I found that there was no line at this restaurant! This is a chance! So I quickly entered. As a beginner, I ordered ramen. Personally, I think the noodles are a bit thick. But the soup is super delicious. It's like a pork bone and dried fish soy sauce flavor? It said 2 slices of roasted pork, but I think there were 3. Thank you very much. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal. I will definitely visit again!

I visited around 11:40 and there were 5 people waiting in line. I bought the "Special Mori Soba" from the ticket machine, handed over the ticket, and waited outside. I entered the shop after about 10 minutes. I sat at the counter and my bowl arrived in about 5 minutes. The noodles were medium thickness and straight, which tasted good, but when I tried the soup, it felt a bit light. Even when I dipped the noodles, they didn't quite stick well. The portion of noodles was generous, so I left feeling full.

Today, I had lunch in Komagome at a place called "Menya Gotou" that I had been curious about. This place is a long-established branch of the Higashi-Ikebukuro-based Daishoken ramen shop. The shop in Nishi-Ikebukuro was temporarily closed, but reopened here in Komagome in 2014, according to information from MyRebi. It's about a 3-minute walk from exit 3 of the Namboku Line subway station, which is convenient! I arrived at the shop around 1 pm, and there was no wait, about 8 minutes to get inside. I quickly chose the default special morisoba for 800 yen at the ticket machine. After about a 10-minute wait, the noodles arrived! They looked delicious. First, I tried the noodles. The chewy, thick-cut noodles had a strong wheat flavor and were very tasty. Then, I dipped the noodles in the soup. The sweet and sour acidity with the bonito flavor was great. The saltiness was mild, yet full of umami, very delicious. The soup had two slices of chashu and plenty of menma. The chashu, which seemed to be made from pork shoulder, had a strong flavor reminiscent of old-fashioned chashu, very tasty. There was surprisingly a lot of menma in the soup. Despite the 300g of noodles, the light soup and delicious noodles made it disappear in no time. The soup was light enough to drink without diluting it, but I wanted to enjoy it more, so I got a soup refill and finished it. Even when I left after 1 pm, customers were still coming in one after another. It's quite popular. I would like to try their ramen next time.

I ordered the chashu ramen! The soup was rich with a seafood flavor! The medium-thick noodles were smooth! It had traditional chashu and menma, which I really liked. It reminded me of the ramen I had at "Benten" before. It was quite filling but I finished it in no time! Thank you for the meal!

I had some free time during the day and felt like trying a different ramen place. I was craving for a Mori soba from a place like Daishoken. I remembered hearing about a ramen shop called Goto that used to be in Nishi-Ikebukuro and now operates in Komagome. So, I decided to go there instead of my usual spot in Takadanobaba. The access to the shop was great, just a short walk from Komagome Station. I arrived around 1:30 pm and there was no line, so I bought a ticket for the Mori Chashu with extra noodles. The atmosphere was a bit quiet compared to other Daishoken shops, but the food was delicious. The noodles were chewy and the broth had a good flavor. The toppings included thick menma, seaweed, green onions, and tender chashu. Overall, it was a satisfying meal, although I wish the chashu had more volume. I finished my meal and left the shop feeling content. I might prefer the original Daishoken in Iidabashi, but this place is convenient and still offers a taste of the classic Daishoken experience. I'll definitely visit again.

The visit was rated 3.70 on Tabelog. The restaurant is close to Komagome Station, and when I arrived around 1:30 PM, there were a few empty seats. There was a ticket machine, and I ordered the Wonton Noodles (1000 yen). I handed over the ticket and sat at the counter seat. The ramen was served in about 5 minutes, and I started eating. The noodles were homemade, medium-thick, straight type with a smooth and slippery texture. They were chewy and there was a good amount. The soup had a low salt concentration and the broth was not overpowering. I could taste the umami from pork, seafood, and chicken, but it lacked a bit of depth. The wonton was large and piping hot. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but overall it was a decent experience at Osomatsu!

Finally made it here! I visited on a weekday off day at 1pm and was able to get in without waiting in line! I had a bowl that was a great value at 800 yen and it brought back nostalgic feelings! The first bite, yes, this is it! It's simple but incredibly delicious! It's just like ramen should be! The noodles were smooth and had a great slurping texture. They were firm and tasty! The chashu was simmered to perfection and full of flavor! I wish I had ordered the chashu noodles! The wontons are also recommended. The finely chopped green onions paired well with the dish, making it a simple but high-quality and interesting bowl of ramen! I will definitely come back!!!

When it comes to the long-established ramen tsukemen in Komagome... It's been over a year since my last visit to "Menya Goto" located a 2-minute walk from Komagome Station north exit (I went by bike). I wanted to have a ramen as a finishing touch... Luckily, "Menya Goto" is nearby. I made it in time for the last order at 20:45! There was only one person inside the restaurant. I apologize for being the last customer to arrive, but thank you for accommodating me. I bought a ticket for the wontan mori soba for ¥1000 and took a seat. The bowl arrived shortly after. This is it, this Japanese-style broth is truly delicious. A reliable bowl as always. Master, I'm sorry for arriving late at night! Thank you for the meal!

Wantan noodles, exactly 1,000 yen, after 8 years. Last time, I didn't know it was from Daishoken and thought I would just have a light meal, but it turned out to be more than I expected. This time, I made sure to come with an empty stomach for lunch. It was a little past 11:30 on a weekday. I went down the stairs to the basement and entered the shop, then bought a meal ticket from the ticket machine on the right. I handed over the ticket and chose an available seat. The dividers on the counter were still there. The noodles were still generously topped with four wantans filled with meat. The soup was delicious. They served the bowl on the counter and said "Enjoy your meal".

This day, I visited Menya Goto in Komagome for the 10th time! Visit date: June 12, 2023 (Monday) Rain 22°C. It was a Monday night when I left the office a bit late and was really hungry, so I decided to go to a ramen shop near the station! Menya Goto is classified as a branch of Daishoken in Higashi-Ikebukuro, and the default noodle portion is generous. It had been almost a year since my last visit, so I was excited to go again! The location is just a 1-minute walk from Komagome Station. Upon arrival, I was surprised to find that the prices had not changed since a year ago! This is amazing considering the current high cost of living. Menya Goto is known for its generous noodle portion, so the value for money is comparable to Jiro or Iekei ramen. I quickly ordered a "ramen with extra green onions" and sat at the counter where there were 8 seats available. The staff was efficient, and the atmosphere was cozy with instrumental music playing in the background. The soup was delicious, with a rich broth combining pork, chicken, and seafood flavors. The homemade noodles were thick and wavy, cooked perfectly with a smooth texture. The toppings included extra green onions, crunchy menma, and flavorful chashu slices. I added garlic and doubanjiang for extra flavor, which enhanced the overall taste. The portion was generous, and I left the shop feeling satisfied and happy. It was a great dining experience, and I look forward to visiting again soon!

I visited a nostalgic restaurant that I used to go to every week, after about 10 years since the last visit due to relocation. I was quite moved to be back. The capacity of the new location was almost the same, and I was surprised to find out it was still located underground (laughs). I used to see two people running the place, but now there was only one person. I ordered the special Mori Soba from the ticket machine. I didn't realize that the special was the default option. The Mori Soba from the past? I'm not sure, but I ordered the special Mori Soba with a seasoned egg. It used to be 600 yen, but now it's 800 yen. It arrived in less than 10 minutes. The appearance was similar to the Mori Soba from the past, but it didn't feel very special. I tried the soup. Huh? It felt thin for a dipping sauce. I tried eating it with the noodles. The soup didn't stick to the noodles and tasted weak. The taste of the soup was reminiscent of the past, but the aroma and flavor were weak. It was okay to eat while drinking the soup. The thickness of the noodles remained the same, but the roughness on the surface was not great. Half of the egg was gone. Overall, I finished the meal, but I'm not sure if it was worth it for the nostalgia. However, the nostalgic call at the end as I was leaving was nice. Thank you for the meal.