Japan #9: Mutekiya. Only the Best Ramen Ever!
Twas' 1030pm in the evening, after a long day at DisneySea. Our stomachs were growling fiercely, not having had proper meals throughout the day. Temperatures were low and cold, below 5°C. We decided to have the best ramen in Tokyo (or rather, it was touted as such on some food blogs), Mutekiya.
The little roadside shop was really only about a 5-minute walk away from our hotel. Even before our GPS indicated the arrival to our destination, we could spot the queue snaking around the block. Even at such a time!
We waited for about an hour, shivering in the cool winter's air and mouths salivating at the thought of the warm, rich ramen broth and the cosy seats inside the shop. It sure felt like Christmas when we were finally ushered in.
The small shop housed less than 20 patrons, sipping and slurping away at two rows of bar tables. I ordered the recommended Hontorokumarumen, or "one of our three most popular Ramen with our very richest soup" according to their website, and added an extra slice of chashu. D had the Nikutamamen, "one of our three most popular Ramen (Chinese-style noodles) with our sliced tender roasted pork, the specialty of the house, and flavored egg".
I tell ye, the Hontorokumarumen soup was no soup; it was the thickest broth/ gravy/ dip I've ever had with ramen. SOOO RICH AND SOOO DELICIOUS. Pork fat everywhere, and I still gulped down like I haven't eaten in days. D's Nikutamamen soup was nowhere near the heaven I was experiencing, please!
And ohhhmaaagaaad best part: the chashu was fantasssticcc. Each slice so thick, it looked like three layers of the typical Singaporean ramen chashu. And it was SO FAT and TOTALLY MELT-IN-YOUR-MOUTH. I'm so reliving the unbelievably sublime taste in my mouth as I'm typing all these. I've never had soup so delicious, or chashu so magical.
Here's that amazing chashu up close:
The queue and cold, totally worth it.
