And definitely the best Ramen I’ve ever had
If you’re after the best ramen in Tokyo, this place is definitely worth a look. The fact we found it on our first jet-lagged day just makes the story all-the-more amusing.
Manchester to Tokyo is a long way to fly and by the time we arrived at our hostel, we were well and truly jet lagged. It was nearing dinner time by the time we were unpacked and settled. So I searched Google maps for something in the Ikebukuro area. This restaurant had a decent rating and was worth a look.
We followed the app and found our way to the small ramen restaurant called Mutekiya. To our surprise there was a long queue outside, waiting to go in. We debated trying somewhere else until I pointed out that if there was a queue, that probably meant it was good. Plus, we needed to kill some time anyway to stay awake until a reasonable time.
So we queued for about an hour, in our jet-lagged state, barely able to stand. As we edged closer to the door, a waiter appeared with menus so we could make our order before we went in. We tell him what we want and then wait a bit longer.
At last, it was our turn to be seated. The moment we stepped inside, it became obvious why so many people had to queue outside. This place was tiny. There was maybe enough room for 10 to 15 people. We were seated on a bench together and almost immediately served our food.
While it may have been the jet-lag and hunger talking, this ramen was simply incredible. Although, the queue of Japanese people eager for a taste, suggests that they thought it was pretty damn good as well.
This was the tonkotsu style, which is ramen in a pork broth made by boiling pork bones. The pork belly that sat on top of the noodles just fell apart in your mouth, it was incredible. I couldn’t have picked anything better to eat as a tired tourist in need of something comforting.
I definitely recommend this restaurant if you’re in the area.
Emma Visits 