Tokyo Station Ramen Street – What’s Your Favourite?

I’ve always been a foodie but ramen wasn’t one of my favourite foods until I watched “The Ramen Girl”, a movie released about 10 years ago, depicting an American woman stranded in Tokyo after breaking up with her boyfriend. She was searching for her direction in life, and decided to train to be a ramen chef. The cooking process seemed simple, but from the movie, I understood why ramen is made up of 10% noodles and 90% love. From the texture of the noodles, to the flavour of the ramen egg, to the slurp-worthiness of the broth, to how passionate the chef is in preparing the ramen … Every detail is important if you want to savour a truly good bowl of ramen.

There is an overwhelming number of ramen restaurants in Tokyo, but I decided to check out Tokyo Station’s Ramen Street since it was convenient to get there. The Ramen Street is located in the underground mall of the railway station’s Yaesu side, and there are eight restaurants specialising in ramen dishes lining this street. After walking up and down and studying the menu, I decided on trying Gyoku restaurant’s Special Rich Niboshi (Anchovy) Ramen and the Soy-sauce and Niboshi (Anchovy) Ramen with Boiled Egg.

Instead of sticking to the usual Shio ramen (salt based broth), Tonkotsu ramen (pork-bone based broth), Miso ramen (miso based broth) and Shoyu ramen (soy sauce based broth), I’m glad that I decided on Niboshi ramen. This particular broth is simmered with different types of anchovies to give it a rich flavour. The ramen comes with tender pork slices, a ramen egg, and is topped with bonito flakes to enhance the taste of the broth. Imagine slurping down a delicious bowl of piping hot ramen broth when it’s 8 degrees outside … So satisfying!

Travelling solo has its perks, but my stomach isn’t a bottomless pit so I’m not able to try as much food as I could as compared to when I’m travelling with my loved ones. Is there any particular restaurant you would like to highlight at the Tokyo Station Ramen Street? Feel free to share your experience with me below.