Tsujita Miso no Sho つじ田 味噌の章 (Tokyo, JAPAN) ★★★☆☆

We tried to visit at least one ramen restaurant on all our trips to Japan. In Tokyo, there are a number of ramen streets worth visiting but since we were dead tired from a day at Tokyo Disneyland, we decided to simply visit the famous Tokyo Ramen Street at Tokyo Station First Avenue (東京站一番街) tonight since it's just around the corner from our hotel.



Different types of ramens are all well represented here including Tonkotsu (or pork bone broth, Tonkotsu Ramen Oreshiki Jun), Shio (or salt based broth, Shio Ramen Senmon Hirugao), Chicken broth (Tokyo Niboshi Ramen Gyoku), Miso (Tsujita Miso no Sho), Chinese soba (Soranoiro Nippon), Tsukemen (Rokurinsha) and Seafood ramen (Ikaruga).



Since little nugget was super hungry after a full day of activities, we decided to find the ramen shop with the shortest lineup which would be Tsujita Miso no Sho (つじ田 味噌の章) on this night.



As usual, this was easily done with a ticket vending machine. What looks like 10 to 12 different types of ramen shown on the screen was actually a mirage. In fact, Tsujita Miso no Sho only serves three types of miso-based ramen at this location, special miso ramen which is their original flavor, a rich miso ramen and a spicy version of it. The rest is just a variation of the three with add-on items like soft-boiled egg and barbecued pork.



Special Miso Ramen set (1,070 yen) - Tsujita Miso no Sho is an off-shoot of Tsukemen Tsujita who specializes in dipping ramen. There are three branches of Tsujita Miso no Sho in Tokyo, all focusing on miso-based ramen with different degree of richness. This was their "original flavor" that was more mild and easier on the palate.

 

This set came with soft-boiled eggs, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts and chopped char siu. If you're looking for slices of fatty barbecued pork, then you're out of luck here. I really like the (complex) flavors of this broth. It's relatively light for a miso-based broth (white miso?), working well with the thinner egg noodles.



Rich miso ramen (920 yen) - I didn't order the set here so no soft-boiled egg! Instead, it came with a thin slice of barbecued pork.



The supporting cast looked more or less the same but the real difference maker here was the flat noodle which was doing a nice job absorbing the richness of the miso broth (made with red miso based on its color?).

 

Personally, I prefer the special miso ramen a little more because it's more gentle on the palate. The rich miso broth was a bit strong for me and I had to drink a lot of iced water after the meal to cleanse my palate.






Food Rating: 5.5/10
Price: ￥￥￥
Address: B1F First Avenue Tokyo Station, 1-9-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo 100-0004 Japan
Closest Metro Station: Ōtemachi / Tokyo Station
Tel: +81 3-6551-2028
Opening Hours: 10:30am - 11:00pm daily