Ramen Takahashi 焼きあご塩らー麺 たかはし (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★★☆

I thought of a number of different ways to kick off this Tokyo trip but at the end of the day, I realized there's no better way to start it than slurping down a hot and delicious bowl of ramen. One could argue whether I'm actually in the wrong place at the wrong time when I crave for a nice hearty bowl of ramen. Shinjuku, or Kabukicho (歌舞伎町) in particular, doesn't exactly jump out as a foodie's haven but it does have its fair share of interesting dining options including some seriously good ramen restaurants. 

I'm here to check out one of my favorite ramen restaurants in the area - Ramen Takahashi (焼きあご塩らー麺 たかはし), a noodle shop that specializes in yakiago (grilled flying fish) stock.



It's still early but there's already a small lineup in front of this famed noodle shop. Without further delay, I went straight to the vending machine and got myself a ticket before it's too late.



Ramen Takahashi is a place for fish lovers who will most definitely appreciate their full-bodied broth which is creamy, rich and flavorful.



Meet Ramen Takahashi’s famous yakiago shio ramen (900yen)!



Sea salt is the oldest form of ramen seasoning and it's believed that it originated from the Chinese noodle soups. Obviously, they didn't call this shio ("salt") ramen for nothing as the clear and yellowish broth was made mainly with plenty of salt and grilled flying fish.



I really enjoyed this bowl of ramen a lot. The homemade noodles were firm to the bite. The broth was rich and flavorful yet not salty at all. I thought if there's any room for improvement, it's probably with the char siu (BBQ pork). It's definitely not bad but I like the charcoal grilled ones more. These ones didn't have any sign of chargrilled, at least not to a point where you see all the smokey flavors coming out.



This has to be the best ramen in Shinjuku. Wow, what a way to kick off this trip!





Food Rating: 7/10
Price: ￥￥￥
Address: 1 chome-27 Kabukicho Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Closest Metro Station: Seibu-Shinjuku
Tel: +81 3-6457-3328
Website: www.takahashi-ramen.com