波乗りジョニー1225
This is a group restaurant of "Menya Musashi", founded by Mr. Suzuki in 1996 in Aoyama, coming from the apparel industry. It opened in 2011 and now has its main store in Shinjuku. Each branch has its own unique menu and flavors, and one of the most prominent and famous among the 15 stores in Tokyo is "Ueno Menya Musashi Bukotsu Soden". Located just a 1-minute walk from JR Ueno Station, near the elevated tracks between the Yamanote Line and Ueno-Tokyo Line. The dark brown exterior is chic and not typical of a ramen shop. A large white lantern and the "Menya Musashi" sign are the landmarks. I visited at 12:00 on a weekday and luckily there was no line outside. Immediately to the right inside is a ticket machine. The counter seats surround the kitchen with only 16 seats available. There are different types of tsukemen, ramen, and maze-soba on the menu. The tsukemen is appealing because you can get the same price from a regular serving to 3.5 times the amount. Today, I personally chose my favorite:
- Rich Black Tsukemen ¥1,030
- 3.5x serving size (free)
I placed my order by pressing the button for my choice on the ticket machine and handed the ticket to the staff at the available counter seat. The dish was served in about 5 minutes. The tsukemen is served in a ramen bowl, and the amount of noodles, after boiling, is impressive at about 1 kilogram! However, unfortunately, the slices of roast pork on top of the noodles have become thinner compared to before, and the amount of pork shoulder meat has decreased. The "black" dipping sauce uses charred onions, garlic, and coffee beans baked in the oven. The rich broth with soy sauce and the black umami flavor blend well, and the fresh medium-thick noodles have a beautiful texture. They are cooked just right, smooth to slurp, and have a chewy texture. The noodles have a slight twist, allowing the soup to adhere well, and they are simply delicious. About halfway through the noodles, I remembered the additional soup I learned about last time, so this time I ordered the red soup for a change in flavor. The red dipping sauce arrived almost immediately. The spicy red flavor is not too hot. With the flavor change, I finished the 1-kilogram meal in no time. It's great to be able to enjoy these two types of dipping sauces. The chashu is carefully baked using steam convection. It has a bacon-like appearance, is large and thick, crispy on the outside, and moist on the inside. Truly a flavorful and voluminous tsukemen from the Menya Musashi group. Thank you for the meal! 🚶♂️