つけ麺和 (Kazu in Adachi-ku, Tokyo)

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つけ麺和

Rich tonkotsu-gyokai tsukemen made with dried mackerel and sardines. For some, this is the ultimate in fishy, porky soups. Paired with thick noodles and a few toppings, it’s tsukemen like this that started a craze in the mid-2000s that is still around today.

This shop is related to Tsukemen Michi, one of Tokyo’s most acclaimed shops. The chef at Kazu, Kanai-san (金井さん), trained at Michi before branching off on his own in 2018. His new shop was lauded by critics, earning the coveted rookie of the year in the tsukemen category in TRY magazine. Tokyo Ramen of the Year is no joke!

Tsukemen with all the toppings, tsukemen with a few toppings, and tsukemen with no toppings are your choices. The pink button in the upper left offers a tantan tsukemen, but a deep dive into the many Instagram photos here make it seem nonexistent.

The regular tsukemen is plenty.

Thick soup takes around two days to make. Collagen-rich chicken feet and pig heads are blended with saba and niboshi fish powders. The whole thing is slurped up with thick noodles from the same noodle maker that supplies Michi.

Be sure to flavor your noodles with a little bit of the shop’s homemade fruit vinegar. Apples and lemons add a nice touch, and the vinegar makes the fishy flavors pop.

Michi gained a reputation for insane lines. I think I arrived an hour before opening and still wasn’t near the front of the line. Kazu, on the other hand, was very manageable. Sure, it’s technically out of the way, but isn’t good food worth the journey?

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