新橋纏 (Shinbashi Matoi in Shinbashi, Tokyo)

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新橋纏

Back in Tokyo from a 10-day motorcycle trip to Tottori and it was time to get back on the ramen grind. Shibashi Matoi is one of Tokyo’s top 100 ramen shops.

When I say top 100 I am referring to the Tabelog Hyakumeiten (百名店) list. It’s an annual list of Tokyo’s best shops, according to Japan’s largest food website. They make lists for not only Tokyo but also a 100 East list and a 100 West list. Alongside the ramen lists, there are 百名店 for 23 other casual gourmet types of food. Like any list, it has its flaws (Kanagawa and Osaka dominate their respective lists) but overall it is a worthy challenge for the ramen hunter.

The Hirago Niboshi Soba (平子煮干そば). The internet tells me that these are dried sardines caught off the coast of Tottori Prefecture’s Sakaiminato port (境港産). Sardines are high in inosinic acid, a seriously umami-rich molecule. They are also a bit fishy, so don’t come here if you don’t love those fishy flavors. In the sea of niboshi ramen shops, I’d rank Matoi as a seven on the fish-funk flavor scale.

The soy sauce comes from Tokyo’s Nihonichi, one of the last traditional shoyu brewers in the Tokyo area. A nice local touch. I should also note that they have squid-based ramen on the menu as well. This one is probably a ten on that fishy-funk scale. You’ve been warned.

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