里ちゃん sato-chan ramen: your friendly neighborhood tsukemen

by rameniac | 16 Nov 2006

Sure I could have waited; certainly a lunch at Kyushu Jangara or a Ganso Ebisu would have kicked off this latest trip to Japan in style. But in a country where ramen is as ubiquitous as Starbuck’s in America, where there are tens of thousands of shops in total, a bowl of noodles is never more than a few steps away. Whether most are actually worth their shio is up for debate, but Rameniac’s Tokyo digs just happened to be around the corner from Sato-chan, effectively a one-man operation that has apparently made some ripples since it opened earlier this year.

The place was not bad at all. Sato-chan’s gyoza is crisped to perfection, while their specialty, genkotsu ramen, featured a rich broth made from pork knuckles. Although genkotsu lacks the the musk and heartiness of its venerable tonkotsu cousin, the shop’s version went down in a flash; it’s certainly an intriguing alternative to the traditional Tokyo shoyu style.

A generous portion of well-seasoned shinachiku, fatty, if spare, chashu, and the most perfectly boiled egg topped Sato-chan’s smallish bowl. It’s true eating in Japan requires a mental portion-size adjustment; most people the world over don’t supersize their food like us Yanks do.

Sato-chan’s tsukemen, which is ramen served dipping style, is also noteworthy. A slightly more concentrated version of the genkotsu broth functions as the dip. The impending closure of Taishoken Ikebukuro has created a surge in tsukemen’s popularity. Nowadays, it’s now a common find on many a Tokyo ramen shop menu.

It’s worth noting that, as my first bowl of ramen since arriving in Japan, Sato-chan’s noodles do indeed have that extra toothiness that seems to be missing in North American ramen. Kansui water plays a huge factor after all. 

sato-chan’s genkotsu broth is rich and flavorful. a shoyu-steeped kid cousin to great tonkotsu soup, which is what dreams are made of.	8
medium-thickness, toothy egg noodles with a good chew. typical of ramen in tokyo.	7
nicely soft-boiled egg and slightly fatty chashu. kaiware radish sprouts add a bit of inoffensive flair.	7
quality gyoza, grilled to just the right amount of crispness.	7
your average friendly neighborhood ramen shop with cold fluorescent lighting. no ambiance to speak of, sadly. just stare at the tv at the end of the counter and watch the yomiuri giants play.	0
affable chef behind the counter! months-old shop definitely deserves some love.	3
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