西新宿つけそば黒門

Even though I had a dinner date later in the evening, walking with my camera in Tokyo will inevitably lead to a ramen adventure. Kuromon is in my neighborhood of Shinjuku, and I had passed the shop a few hundred times before. Unfortunately for Kuromon, it lies just off the main drag of ramen shops on Shinjuku’s skyscraper side; too far for a random hungry walker to stumble in to by accident. Also, it is close enough to Nagi Nicai for a seasoned eater to avoid it all together. But like I said, I had my camera with me.

The 200g 麻辛丸 looked like the one for me. 麻辛丸 doesn’t have much meaning, unless you sound it out. Ma-Shin-Gan.

This semi-automatic comes at you from a few angles. First, the soup is meant to knock you down with spice. More of a tang, this bullet was a dud.

Trying to flank you, the 200g of pork is a heavy hitter.

Wow. This much meat at a place without a crowd can be a bad thing. Being stuck with a quarter kilo of tough, dry pork is something I have done a few times in the past. Not keen to do it again.

Luckily, the pork here was excellent. Nowhere present in any best-of lists, but tender enough, once dipped in the soup, to be thoroughly enjoyed. The tangy, the fatty, the smoky; not bad.

But like I said, this shop is in the middle of a major ramen zone, and there are many tastier offerings.

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東京都新宿区西新宿7-10-12

Tokyo, Shinjuku-ku, Nishi-Shinjuku 7-10-12

Closest station: Shinjuku

Open 11:30-15:30, 17:15-24:00

Sunday 11:30-20:00

Ramen Adventures

Ramen Shop Reviews from Japan and Abroad

黒門 (Kuromon in Shinjuku)

はやしまる (Hayashimaru in Koenji)

馬賊 (Bazoku in Nippori)

けいすけ東京ラーメンストリー (Keisuke at Tokyo Ramen Street)

黒門 (Kuromon in Shinjuku)

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はやしまる (Hayashimaru in Koenji)

馬賊 (Bazoku in Nippori)

けいすけ東京ラーメンストリー (Keisuke at Tokyo Ramen Street)