This ramen shop for some reason keeps drawing me back. Despite being a Yokohama-style ramen shop, their tonkotsu salt soup with cabbage and bean sprouts topping is amazing. If I want shoyu tonkotsu, I usually go to Waizu in Kanda, but I keep coming back here for the salt tonkotsu. It's strangely addictive.

I sometimes crave for this type of ramen, so I went to a nearby restaurant. The floors of ramen shops are often sticky, which is scary, but this place had a clean feeling. The taste was as expected, rich and very delicious.

Located in Iwamotocho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, this Yokohama-style ramen shop offers a wide variety of menu options. It opened in August 2021 and is conveniently situated near Iwamotocho Station on the Toei Shinjuku Line, just a 3-5 minute walk away along the Kanda Heisei Street. The ramen here is delicious, and the free all-you-can-eat rice is a nice touch! On a hot summer day, I felt like having a hearty ramen, so I decided to stop by for lunch. Surprisingly, there aren't many ramen shops in this area. Before 1 PM, there were already several customers inside, with only about 3 more coming in later. The staff, consisting of two Chinese employees, operate a ticket vending machine system. The self-service free rice is available to scoop from the rice cooker on the table, and I topped mine with cucumber and doubanjiang. Today, I ordered the Tonkotsu Negi ramen for 880 yen. It had the typical creamy tonkotsu soup with chewy noodles. Although it didn't have any distinctive features, the generous amount of green onions on top was satisfying. I even went for a second serving of rice, filling up my stomach and replenishing the salt lost through sweating. Overall, it was a satisfying meal, and I would consider revisiting this place in the future.

The restaurant was not crowded around 8:30 pm on a regular night. The interior was clean and tidy. The Asian staff members were friendly and provided good service. I ordered the pork bone ramen with soy sauce noodles, cooked firm. The noodles and soup didn't mix well, possibly because of the firmness. The taste was average, with a strong wheat flour flavor in the noodles. Overall, the taste was neither good nor bad. It was a perfect size and taste for a final drink after a drinking party.

When I crossed through Iwamoto-cho, the sign of the place where we had a drinking party before has changed? It's a shame. The sign for "Gyoza" is still there as it was before. It seems like it has been a while since the opening, but now it's "Yokohama-style ramen Hoshie" with a new sign. They are promoting the "Shrimp Tonkotsu Salt Ramen (790 yen)" with a lot of enthusiasm. I like shrimp, so I might go for that. From the photos, the portion seems decent, so I might also get a side dish. The "Grilled Pork Rice Bowl (290 yen)" caught my eye, but the "Grilled Gyoza 12 pieces (500 yen)" is more cost-effective. So, I'll go for the "Shrimp Ramen + Grilled Gyoza 12 pieces" combo. When ordering noodles, rice is also all-you-can-eat. That's why I didn't go for the large size. They also provide white rice and pickles as a service. After waiting for about 6 minutes, the "Shrimp Tonkotsu Salt Ramen" arrived. It has a shrimp-like color. When I tried the soup, yes, it has the umami of shrimp. But it feels like a flavor I've tasted at other shops. The aroma is also quite ordinary, so they must be using shrimp extract or something. Considering the location in the city center, this might be the reason for the price. I didn't feel much of the tonkotsu flavor, with shrimp being the main taste. Personally, I started to get a bit tired of the soup towards the end. The noodles are thin, and the chashu has a Chinese-style taste. The volume is actually more than it looks. The gyoza, oh, there's a lot in 12 pieces! I took a bite and could feel the meat juices. Although it said "all-you-can-eat rice with noodle orders," I wonder if there's a gyoza set or something for the gyoza? Since it's gyoza, the rice goes well with it. In terms of quantity, it's like two servings, and with two bowls of rice, of course, my stomach is full. I left a bit of soup, but finished the ingredients. The price is a bit reasonable, and with the all-you-can-eat rice, it might be a good deal to get full. Thank you for the meal.

Arrival was a little after 12:05. When I peeked in the other day, it was full, but this day about half of the seats were empty. It seems like the busyness varies depending on the day. First, I purchased a ticket for the 辛つけ麺ＳＰ at the ticket machine at the entrance, and the staff guided me to a counter seat. When I handed over the ticket, they asked me about the amount of noodles and whether I wanted them cold or hot. By the way, you can add up to 900g of noodles (cooked) at no extra charge. I asked for a 750g special serving with cold noodles. At a nearby ramen shop I visited the other day, Tsukemen Aosakura, extra servings incurred an additional charge, and there were no further options for larger servings like a special serving, so the free noodle increase for Tsukemen is a nice service. It took a little over 10 minutes until it was served. Tsukemen noodles take time to cook. The ramen customer who came in after me was served before me, so the restaurant's operation is not slow at all. I started eating right away. The noodles were just to my liking in terms of taste and texture. The dipping sauce was a rich and sweet-savory fish and pork bone broth, with a mild spiciness. You can taste the spiciness, but for those who like spicy food, it may not be enough. The chashu was not the melt-in-your-mouth type, but a more solid meaty type. The flavored egg was slightly salty but had a runny yolk. The bamboo shoots were average. Although I didn't get the spiciness I expected, overall, it was delicious. By the way, when it was served, they explained that you could have a refill of the dipping sauce, but the amount provided initially was sufficient for me. If they had soup refills, I might have asked for a refill of the dipping sauce. Looking at the other customers, many of them seemed to order soy sauce ramen with a strong flavor and self-serve rice (all-you-can-eat for free). It's a great deal for a filling meal. In terms of COVID-19 prevention measures, they had hand sanitizers and table dividers. The staff were wearing masks, of course. The ventilation was also good. Thank you for the meal!

Kanda Heisei Street, near the Oyamabashi intersection, saw the opening of Yokohama-style ramen restaurant Hoshiya in August 2021. The place used to be a gyoza restaurant called Tentei, and the signboard with "gyoza" written on it remains unchanged. Around 7 p.m. on a weekday, I decided to stop by for a light drink on my way home. Inside the restaurant, there are 7 counter seats, 3 tables for 4 people, and 1 table for 2 people. There is a TV as well. The place is run by a Chinese-looking guy. Two businessmen were drinking there. There is a ticket machine. I wondered if I needed to buy a ticket since it was nighttime, so I asked, "Should I buy a ticket?" The guy said, "Yes," so I obediently purchased a ticket. The ticket machine had a lot of buttons. I found a "light drink set" for 600 yen! I decided to order that and went to my table. I handed the ticket for the light drink set to the guy and said, "I'll order the ramen later." The light drink set includes edamame, a snack set, chilled tofu, spicy miso pork with green onions, century egg, and chilled cabbage, and you can choose one. I ordered the snack set. The draft beer was served in a slim Asahi Super Dry glass with a bit too much foam on the inside. Looking at the menu on the table, I found other sets like a double beer set for 1,000 yen and a full stomach set for 1,100 yen. Wait a minute! After ordering the ramen for 720 yen, wouldn't the full stomach set for 1,100 yen be a better deal? I asked the guy who brought the snack set, "Can I change from the light drink set to the full stomach set?" He said, "Yes. Just pay 500 yen in cash." So, I paid 500 yen in cash and changed to the full stomach set. The ramen I was planning to buy for 720 yen became 500 yen! The snack set included two slices of pork, half a seasoned egg, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts and cabbage, and green onions. The sauce on the bean sprouts and cabbage was delicious. I ordered a highball (190 yen) for a refill, and it was black. The inside of the glass had foam on it too. Finally, I called for the pork bone soy sauce ramen. I chose soy sauce flavor and had the noodles cooked firm. In less than 4 minutes, the pork bone soy sauce ramen was served! The toppings included three sheets of seaweed, spinach, and pork slices. It had a typical Yokohama-style appearance. The mild tonkotsu soup was not fishy. The noodles were cooked just right. Surprisingly, it was quite good considering my low expectations. Rice is self-service and freshly cooked in a Tiger rice cooker. The cucumber pickles were also self-service. Dip the seaweed in the soup, wrap it with rice, and it's the best combination. I was full with the great value full stomach set.

The ramen shop run by the people over there. Come to think of it, there was one near Akihabara Station. I ordered the salt ramen. The chashu had a continental spice flavor which felt a bit out of place, but the taste was okay. The soup was quite creamy. It's not the traditional style of tonkotsu ramen, but rather a unique creamy style that you don't see often. The spinach was firm, so it didn't seem like it was frozen. It's nice to be able to serve yourself rice to adjust the amount.

There is a ramen restaurant here, so I decided to visit. I went during lunchtime and was able to be seated without waiting. I ordered the Egg Soy Sauce Tonkotsu Ramen with firm noodles and strong flavor for 820 yen. Rice is self-service and free. The soup has a punchy flavor and is delicious. The noodles were cooked just right, and the amount was good. The boiled spinach was also nice. Eating rice soaked in the soup with seaweed was delicious. There was pickled cucumber on the side of the rice, and on the table, there were garlic, pepper, spicy miso, vinegar, and more. I was a little concerned about sharing ladles and tongs due to COVID-19, but they had alcohol available, so it was okay. The flavor was strong and a bit salty for my taste, so next time I will try the regular flavor.

I went to a new ramen shop that opened in the neighborhood. It was quite crowded, probably because it was lunchtime. The staff seemed inexperienced, likely because it's a new store. The taste was okay, not particularly good or bad, just your average ramen. I might go back again sometime since it's nearby. Hopefully things will have settled down a bit by then. Thank you for the meal.

At the end of last month, a new ramen shop opened near the Daiwabashi intersection in Iwamotocho. I visited for a late lunch around 3 pm on a weekday. I ordered the basic "Tonkotsu Ramen (720 yen)" and "Spinach (150 yen)" from the ticket machine. I sat at the long counter seats separated by partitions. When asked by the staff if I wanted soy sauce or salt, I chose soy sauce. Since it was my first visit, I asked for everything to be "normal" including the noodles, richness, and amount of fat. It took about 15 minutes for the ramen to arrive, even though there were no other customers, so it was a bit slow. The presentation was nice, with a small bowl containing three sheets of seaweed, pork belly chashu, and a mountain of spinach as a topping. The soup was relatively light, with a slight hint of meaty smell. The noodles were short and firm, with a decent amount, but it was not as much as the "normal 350g (for women)" as written on the menu. On the other hand, there was a lot of spinach. It was piled high and a significant amount was soaked in the soup. By the time I finished eating, the soup had decreased quite a bit due to the spinach absorbing it. The chashu was made of pork belly and was tender. It was surprisingly delicious. In general, the ramen was well-balanced in terms of quantity, taste, and price. The staff were all Chinese and friendly. Overall, I think it's a decent place to grab a quick meal near the office.

I found out about this place from Shogun's review and decided to make a rare trip to Iwamotocho. I walked down Kanda Heisei Street and then crossed over Showa Street, where the foot traffic gradually decreased. Soon enough, I could see the Oowada Bridge intersection where the restaurant was located. I arrived in front of the shop a little after 2 PM and saw only one other customer inside. I went in and ordered the Tonkotsu Ramen (720 yen) from the ticket machine on the left. Even though I was dining alone, I was seated at a table. When I handed over my ticket, I specified that I wanted the noodles firm. After a while, my ramen arrived. The menu mentioned free rice with unlimited refills, but I wasn't offered any, so I had to ask for it myself. I was directed to the self-service corner where there was also pickled vegetables next to the rice cooker. However, I didn't take any pickles as I prefer to mix my rice with the soup. I scooped a little rice onto my plate and returned to my seat. The toppings included three sheets of seaweed, chashu pork, and spinach. The noodles were medium thickness and when I tried them, they were just okay, with the only downside being that the soup was a bit too strong. The house broth was nothing out of the ordinary, quite standard. The chashu pork was also average. I felt like the portion of noodles was a bit small. The firmness of the noodles was good. After finishing the noodles, I dumped the rice into the soup. Mixing rice with such a strong-flavored soup turned out to be a mistake, making it difficult to finish the meal. I should have poured the soup over the rice instead. The taste was okay, the portion size was good, and the value for money was decent. Since the place had just opened, I hope they will continue to improve. Thank you for the meal.

In the summer of 2021, in Iwamoto Town, a ramen shop called "Kakei Ramen Seika" suddenly appeared, possibly due to the influence of the coronavirus. The interior of the shop is clean and new, with a sign indicating it might be similar to "Ikkesi" based on the sign. I ordered the "Tonkotsu Cabbage Moya Ramen for 850 yen" from the ticket machine and chose soy sauce with firm noodles. The ramen arrived in about 4 minutes, with the basic toppings of rolled pork belly, spinach, and three sheets of nori, along with a small portion of cabbage moya on top. The soup was not the typical white, thick soup of a capital-based ramen shop, but rather a more ordinary style of soup. The noodles were medium thickness and of decent quality. Overall, it was not worth going out of your way or paying 850 yen specifically for this ramen, but it could be a good option if you just want a quick bowl of ramen in the neighborhood (especially since there are no other ramen shops in Iwamoto Town). After googling "Cabbage Moya," I found that the menu at Seika is very similar to that of "Ikkesi Ramen Haruki" (including other menu items). Thank you for the meal.

I had the Tonkotsu Ramen Shoyu. The rich and thick soup had a strong punch to it. The noodles were straight and medium thickness, chewy and satisfying. As expected from a family-owned restaurant, they offered free unlimited rice which filled me up. Thank you for the meal.

I thought this shop might be related to Rakuya near here, but when I tried the ramen, it was surprisingly delicious, with a Yokohama style ramen that wasn't overly considerate. This time I ordered the noodles firm and the flavor strong. It was really delicious.

I ordered Tonkotsu Shoyu ramen. It's a classic in the world of home-style ramen, and they also offer unlimited rice. They have pickled cucumbers as well. A recommended way to eat the rice is to pour the soup over it, add pepper and garlic. It's so delicious, I was moved by it.

You can choose tonkotsu ramen with soy sauce or salt. I ordered with soy sauce and half-fried rice. Honestly, if you eat the ramen thinking it's a home-style ramen, you might be disappointed. The half-fried rice is okay delicious. Personal rating 3.0