Murata — Restaurant in Tokyo

Tokyo's neighborhood ramen counters have yet to disappoint me. At this one, I had a rich Tsukemen-style, where the noodles are served separate from the broth. I added some slices of pork and a soft-boiled egg. It was delicious.

This place has a big long kitchen, surrounded by a counter. There's often a line, but I got there about 20 minutes before it closed, so there were plenty of seats free. For Westerners reading this, in Japan, they expect you to slurp up your ramen fast and go--no lingering--so it's okay to show up 20 minutes before closing. You order with a touch screen kiosk, I don't remember if it had English translation.

This was my first experience with tsukemen style, but people had been telling me to try it. I didn't realize that the broth is extra concentrated and heavy-bodied, so that it really coats the noodles. It tasted like a deep, rich French onion soup, the real kind, with gelatin and meaty umami. It's the consistency of soup broth, but it tastes like a fine demi-glace, with some soy flavor tones thrown in.

I dipped my noodles into the broth a few twirls of my chopsticks each time. And it was delicious. I think I might prefer the Tsukemen style. The noodles aren't as hot, and there's not as much splatter. Plus, I appreciate the more intense flavor concentration.

I also enjoyed the perfectly soft-boiled eggs--I've yet to have a soft-boiled egg in Tokyo that wasn't perfect, with a syrupy-jelled, deep orange-yellow yolk. Even the fast-food gyudon places get eggs right. I don't know if I really needed four pieces, but I'm the one who ordered extra and I was happy to eat it. The pork was tender, too. Not much else to say about it because the star of the show was the broth and everything I dipped into the broth was amazing. The pork was no exception.

As I said, it was my first tsukemen experience, so I don't really have a criteria to judge, but I walked home with my belly full and my mouth smiling. So, I'll...

They have so many delicious options.

I’ve had their 中華そば(chuka-soba) and it’s so classic and very well made.

This time, I went with the spicy tsukemen (辛つけ麺). The flavor of the broth was so good! The level of spice was perfect for me. Maybe a bit spicy for some.

REVIEW 2: I’ve come back many times and just wanted to note that they often do limited time menu items. Recently they’ve added a Kombu Tsukemen. The broth is a combination of their original tare and a kombu based broth. It was extremely good. I’m always so surprised with the range of of styles of ramen they are able to prepare.

The service here is also incredible, they serve a large number of seats with a limited number of staff. But, it’s like clock-work the way they move, prepare and serve their dishes. Very well done 👍🏽

REVIEW 3: Their 太麺味噌ラーメン is so-so. It reminds me a bit of a Jiro style ramen, with garlic. I would stick with their other styles of ramen, they are more of their specialty 😉

REVIEW 4: This shop has an alter ego, it’s called 「坦坦麺むら坦」😈 They sometimes serve Tantanmen, and also no-broth Tantanmen (汁なし坦々麺).

Once or twice a month they do this, and they list the dates they do this in the shop.

I came back on one of these days and tried their no-broth Tantanmen (汁なし坦々麺), and it was really good, and very filling. It may not taste exactly like a traditional Tantanmen but I enjoyed it. They added some dried shrimp and peanuts which was a nice touch. I also asked for additional Al toppings.

It’s not as spicy as I would expect. Not as much Szechuan pepper (山椒) as other Tantanmen I’ve had. But it was...

Small cozy shop. You order at the kiosk and then give your recipts/tickets to the cooks after they seat you. The noodles are thick and chewy and you can see them take care into each order. You also need to add on everything you want to it individuallu, like an egg, or bamboo, etc. They make everything, but the noodles, in house I believe, which they source locally, based on their papers that explain their business. Soup is nice and thick and its super flavorful. 10/10...