Toka Ryoran — Restaurant in Tokyo

Our 1st meal in Japan and this really hits the spot 👌 It is winter and we were looking for food around 2:30pm and the aroma from the shop drew us in, the crowd levels here were lower during off peak hours but streams of locals come in and out quickly. It is a fuss free ramen bar to dine quickly while enjoying the exquisite execution of the noodles. They seem to specialise in fish ramen, which is a refreshing take! The noodles here lean towards a more alkaline flavour as well.

🍵 Iced Green Tea is complimentary.

🍜King of Fish Ramen & Sea Bream Chazuke Set (1450 yen)

The comforting broth leans towards the shio salt style of ramen broth. The aroma of sea bream or any fish was not very pronounced, but it pairs very well wth the chewy alkaline noodles. I do smell a hint of Citrus, which is probably used in the broth to cut the fishy scent and create lightness. I did not see any fish pieces in mine but a slice of tender pork and fish cake.

The Chazuke Set includes a small bowl of vinegared Japanese rice, sesame seeds & spring onions; accompanied by 3 slices of sea Bream sashimi in sesame sauce & crunchy charred rice as topping. The chef instructed us to pour the remaining soup from the Ramen into this rice as a palate meal cleanser. It was really refreshing and clean taste as well. Akin to a light bowl of soupy porridge. I rate: 4/5 🌟

🍜White Miso Sea Bream Ramen (1300) The broth here is thicker and creamier than the former, and the miso is rather pronounced but blends well with the soup. The fish is light and savoury on a tender pork slice. I...

I had wanted to try this place because it was highly rated in tabelog.

I also really enjoy eating 汁なし坦々麺.

I was a bit disappointed to be honest. My overall impression is that it’s an okay bowl of tantanmen. The serving size is decent. So for some people this is probably a nice shop to go for some ramen or tantanmen.

I felt that there was a lack of flavor. The ingredients didn’t seem very fresh. The didn’t taste the peanuts at all, nor the green onion or minced meat. It was very low in any flavor.

The chashu and ajitama (egg) were also pretty underwhelming. They didn’t seem like they were prepared with much attention to detail. It didn’t look very appealing. It was also microwaved before it arrived to my table 🤷🏽‍♂️

The 坦々麺 was also not spicy at all. I probably added 山椒 (Szechuan pepper) 3 times while I ate the bowl of noodles. I also added chili powder and black pepper multiple times and didn’t feel that it got much spicier. It was pretty strange to be honest.

Seems like a shop that stopped caring...

Upon my brothers instruction, just been all the way to akebonobashi to try Tai Shio Soba Toka. The venue is remarkably unspectacular, 10 seats and pretty bog-standard decor. However, what makes this place a must visit for ramen heads is their unique sea bream broth. Whilst this might sound a bit fishy, the bowl actually felt quite light and not too rich. They slap a piece of sliced chashu in the middle which gives a bit of a surf n turf vibe - with some grated yuzu on top which gives it some much need sharpness and tang. The soba noodles are some of the best I’ve ever had. Egg was probably 10 seconds over. Overall, this is for sure one of the best, and another must visit for those who might want to try a fish ramen. Sitting there by myself, slurping away, whilst one of the (clearly more senior) dudes was just ordering around and shouting at the other guy was also...