タナカロボ (Tanaka Robo in Setagaya, Tokyo)

0 Reviews

タナカロボ

Tanaka Robo opened in June 2020 with a new concept. Niboshi ramen is usually made from dried sardines or mackerel, but the ramen here is made from sea bream (鯛の煮干). The uniqueness doesn’t stop there. No tare seasoning is used, only rock salt. Flavor oils are also left out. Instead, they put drops of grapefruit oil on top. The whole thing is topped with a piece of Okinawa-style soki braised pork rib.

The menu has a few choices. Apart from the shio sea bream ramen, there is soy sauce and ginger ramen as well. Go for the tai niboshi no shio soba. Warning, it’s a bit intense on the fishy scale.

Dried sea bream is slowly cooked for two days to bring out the essence of the fish. The master’s thinking is that the drying method for fish a long, drawn-out process, and the reverse should be long and drawn-out as well. You could call this dashi pure and you wouldn’t be wrong.

It’s definitely on the funky side. It’s also something really unique and special. It’s the kind of ramen you don’t come across often. One of a kind.

The slab of soki braised rib is an added bonus. It’s also, dare I say, quite photogenic. Drops of lemon and grapefruit oil are added on top, serving to balance out the flavors. You probably wouldn’t notice if you didn’t know it ahead of time, but it’s there. A nice attention to detail.

Tanaka Lobo was opened by ramen master Tanaka Masaru (田中昌さん). He was a professional cameraman by trade, taking many food photos for magazines and publications. This led to him becoming a bit obsessed with ramen. He claims to have eaten at around 5000 shops in his life. At the age of 50, he decided to start his second life at this ramen shop. I love stories like this!

Shop’s Instagram here.

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