During the transition of winter to spring, it is still cold today in Tokyo and can be bitingly cold at night. It, however, did not discourage me to ‘hunt’ this Michelin-starred ramen which deliciousness had been all over the news.
Nakiryu is located not too far from Otsuka Station, Tokyo. The area is not so crowded, more of quiet although there are shops around. While walking down the empty streets, I tried to find the ramen shop by using the Global Positioning System (GPS). The GPS direction showed that I was almost reaching the place, but since it was dark and the streetlights were dimmed at night, I began to wonder whether the Michelin-starred ramen shop was really in the alley that I had just passed.
But my doubt did not last long, a line of ramen fans that patiently stood while braving the cold breeze made me sure that I had found the ramen shop I was looking for. The queue was long enough that it should be divided into two rows; one row stretched along the ramen shop and another one was across the street. I had to wait for about an hour before I could get in.
At 6:45 PM, the shop board sign in front of Nakiryu was put as 'Closed', while the shop is actually re-opened at 6:00 PM and closed at 9:00 PM. Anyway, the staff still welcomed my friend and I and other customers lining up behind us. Maybe they just forgot to reverse the board.
Getting into the restaurant, I was amazed by how elegant and neat this place. The ticket vending machine was still available there, just like a regular ramen shop. The price listed on the menu was at par with other ramen shops. The Nakiryu’s Dandan noodles is offered at a price of 800 yen. Hmmm, it has the same standardized price with other regular ramen shops, perhaps it would also taste the same, or so I thought. My ultimate choice fell on the spicy Dandan noodles, for the love of spicy food (that’s how most of Indonesian like their foods to be, spicy!). But don’t worry, the condiment won’t ruin the original taste because it serves as a topping on noodles and you can mix it to suit your taste.
The Dandan noodles that I ordered finally came. At first glance it looked like an ordinary ramen, but the fragrance and its subtle smoke billowing from the ramen bowl made me so eager to take a spoon and sip the broth.
Then ... Woah ... it was indeed delicious! The soup was thick but felt light. There was a sensation of salty, savory, spicy, slightly sour soup on the tongue after the first sip. Then I started to take the chopsticks and shoveling the noodles into my mouth. These handmade noodles mixed with minced pork and peanuts had enriched the taste of the ramen. I devoured the glistening Dandan noodles and finished all the broth. I would come back for sure, said myself while getting ready to go home. Nakiryu will definitely satisfy your cravings for ramen on your culinary adventure in Tokyo.
[Information]
・Restaurant : Nakiryu / 鳴龍（なきりゅう）
・Address : Tokyo-to, Toshima-ku, Minamiotsuka 2-34-4
・Phone : 0120-977311
・Hours : 11:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (lunch); 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (dinner)
・Holiday : Tuesdays
・Average Budget : ￥800 yen – ￥1,000
URL :
https://twitter.com/NAKIRYU
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