Junteuchi Men to Mirai — Restaurant in Tokyo

🍜 特製塩 / tokusei shio 🇯🇵 純手打ち 麺と未来 / junteuchi men to mirai / shimo-kitazawa, tokyo 🗓️ 07/03/2024

(@wei.oframen on ig for my ramen adventure 😚)

Men to Mirai is one of the ex-Michelin Bib recipients so I did come here with certain expectations. imo my favorite part of this bowl was the broth. It was extremely light and delicate. It seems simple but you can taste that they use very high-quality chicken and kelp to extract such flavors. However, I did expect more in the noodles from a ramen shop with teuchi in their name. I think the concept is unique and all, using incredibly chonky hand-cut noodle strands but with them being this thick, there are certain drawbacks. The thickness and the unevenness of these noodles prevented them from being cooked consistently. The outer layer of each strand was almost melting away. They did act as a layer of sponge to soak the soup in, but again, it is too thick means you will spend significantly more time trying to chew, and by the time you finish, all the flavors that it absorbed already left your palate. I felt like I was just chewing a bunch of dough...

What a special spot with great food, kind service and cool vibes. If you like your chewy noodles and rich but clean flavored broth, this is a spot for you. The noodles almost have a mochi-like chew, as some have mentioned a thick hand-pulled noodle texture. It’s fantastic.

I had the special shoyu broth which came with an egg, bamboo shoots, and chasu. I added another egg, nori, and more chasu. It was a lot of food. The standard order would do the regular person just fine. Added a beer for that cherry on top.

You place your order through the classic vending machine up front. Put in your cash first and select what you’d like and hand it to the chefs. If there is a red lit kanji character underneath the button for your desired item, it means they’re out.

Finally, we came here around new years and it was tricky getting a spot. They stay open until they sell out and it seems they’ve been selling out lately so be patient with that. They have a lunch service then close until their dinner service. We got in for the lunch service.

Definitely...

I don’t even know the name of this 10-seat noodle bar. Everything is in Japanese! But there were several people lined up outside (none of which were tourists) patiently waiting to get inside. I decided this was the place I wanted to eat! With the help of google translate, I ordered their signature Salt Ramen (at least I think it was their signature, the guy who took my order, whilst I was waiting in the line, pointed to a poster that had a picture of the ramen and a sign that said TRY 2018-2019 Tokyo awards). And after trying it I totally understand why it’s a must try! The noodles seemed to be handmade - thick and chewy- and were so good and so different, the texture reminded me a bit of mochi (untraditional but I loved it). The broth was so simple yet flavorful, and the pork was melt in the mouth. It’s self service for drinks, I helped myself to a beer that was nice and cold, perfect offset to the ramen on a hot day. A wonderful discovery, glad I...