Ten to Sen. — Restaurant in Tokyo

🍜 スパイスラーメンセット + 辛さ増し ×3倍 / spice ramen set + kara mashi x3 🇯🇵 スパイスラーメン 点と線. / spice ramen ten to sen. / shimo-kitazawa, tokyo 🗓️ 07/01/2024

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

Caved in for the set, which consists of spice ramen, a side of rice, and a cup of chai (lassi is also an option). For approximately the same price, you can get a special spice ramen instead of this set that is overloaded with toppings. I usually go for the special at most shops but I'm glad I went with this set instead this time around. As you can see, the base bowl already came with a lot of toppings. Any more than this, I feel like it would be too awkward to eat, trying to dig into the bowl and such. As for the ramen, you guessed it, it's an Indian profile curry broth. I haven't eaten lots of Indian curry but this one tasted really good. I think most of the toppings made sense and the tomato puree on the side really helped cut through the richness of the broth at the end. I went for spicy x3 but I think it was pretty tame so x5 is totally doable and the default is probably not even spicy. The medium-thick, crinkly noodles worked well here. The side of rice really consolidated that I'm a believer in curry on rice as the rice absorbs the curry flavor so much better. The chai was really smooth too as I saw it was getting carefully filtered a few times before pouring it...

Ordered the recommended special curry ramen that's ~2,000¥ and a cold chai. There are some things that work but the overall package was not good. As someone else mentioned the spices are an afterthought and barely get integrated into the broth. For a specialty ramen that's sold as 'spice ramen', it's very disappointing to see spices used like this.

Clearly the spices haven't been fried in oil and blended in with the broth. There are cashew nuts added but I doubt there's any paste in the broth and instead it was just added at the end, not even fried up.

I don't want to rate lower despite this since I want to see more unique takes on ramen, and I like that there are vegetarian options. The burdock and broccoli also work well, but the cabbage, red onions, and tomato don't.

I appreciate that the chai was not just iced but was a full glass of chilled chai. It was okay, I wish it was a bit stronger.

Ultimately I can't recommend the spice ramen especially at the price they sell in its current form. Many people probably came here through their IG advertisement and the presentation itself is Instagrammable but that's the only interesting thing...

In a country that's known for been a stickler for tradition, this ramen shop breaks the boundaries while honouring the core elements of ramen. The pork is deliciously fatty and rolls of the tongue like butter, while the noodles have a satisfying spring. The broth is spiced, and this spice level can be easily changed. Best of all, similar to the company's Samurai Curry shops, other ingredients such as burdock, lotus, wood ear mushroom, peppers, and cashews are all incorporated in a delightful combination of textures. The lemon is an interesting choice that helps brighten the soup, and the egg is always cooked to the soft consistency that I enjoy.

The staff are friendly, even offering my friend and I bibs (helpful to those of us who haven't mastered the ramen slurping technique), and the music and aesthetic are pleasant. This location is particularly valuable because it doesn't get too busy, since it is located in a more competitive area of...