Gotaru Ramen - ごたる
Read up about this place a while back, but lost track of it in my mental ramen catalogue among the other hundreds of great ramen spots in Tokyo. And then the other week, I happened to stumble upon it when walking with a friend to tea ceremony. Gotaru? Hadn't I heard that name before? Sure enough, it was the place, and my friend and I decided on a date to eat there the following week.
Easily one of my favorite tonkotsu ramen shops in Tokyo. Ordered the kikurage (wood-ear mushroom) ramen, and out the bowl came, topped generously with mushrooms, green onions, and two melt-in-your-mouth pieces of chashu. Like a traditional Hakata ramen, the soup was a thick tonkotsu broth, which was absolute creamy perfection, and the noodles were thin. I loved that you were able to choose the hardness of the noodles, and opted for the second hardest (right after flash-boiled). Sesame seeds, red ginger, and garlic toppings were available on the counter to add to your liking. An amazing ramen shop most certainly worth the short trip out from Takadanobaba.