Tonchin Ramen

While staying at the Best Western Astina Shinjuku, we asked the hotel staff for food recommendations in the vicinity and they provided us with a list of places by cuisine. As I was craving ramen badly, I made up my mind and proceeded straight to the nearest ramen place on the list. This happened to be Tonchin and I was quite happy with the choice.  Once you exit the hotel, just turn right, stop at the next light and then turn left.  The restaurant is located less than 5 minutes walk away although it is located in the red light district in Kabukicho if that makes a difference to anyone.

The restaurant was fairly busy and there was a decent lineup going but it turned out to be just a 10-15 minute wait. To order, and this is the same for most ramen places in Tokyo it seems, you go straight to the vending machine where you enter cash much like you would for a can of pop, then press the button for the item you want and out pops a voucher with your selection. You then hand this over to one of the staff and they'll call out your order and have it made for you when a seat opens up for you.

There didn't seem to be much chatter as everyone sat at their individual barstools slurping away at their bowls. For condiments, there's a couple of tins which include various soy sauces and garlic.

And behold the ramen itself! The broth was quite hearty and the four slices of pork was quite sufficient. In fact, the interesting thing about this ramen place was that you could order a small, medium or large ramen for the same price!! As I was quite hungry, I went for the largest portion, which actually turned out to be quite substantial so be careful what you wish for. The green onions and bamboo shoots blended in well with the soup although the egg was definitely my favorite topping!

Here's a look at the general area (Kabukicho) around the ramen shop (the shop is on the left).

If you stop by, happy eating!