A note on the words: tantanmen is the Japanese take on dandan noodles, featuring noodles in a rich, spicy broth flavored heavily with sesame paste and chili oil. Ajitama is a soft-boiled egg marinated in soy seasoning, niboshi chuka soba is ramen with a broth flavored with dried baby sardines, abura soba and mazesoba are brothless noodles tossed with oil, tare sauce, and toppings, and seabura is pork back fat, chopped and added for body and richness.
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Men-dokoro Nakigoe on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. I had some things to attend to in Nishi-magome, and when lunch rolled around, I wondered if there was somewhere good to eat nearby. Searching around, I found a well-known ramen shop close by, so I decided to go: “Men-dokoro Nakigoe” — apparently a tantanmen shop that was a runner-up at the Tokyo Ramen Show. They are really pushing their tantanmen!
After buying a meal ticket from the vending machine, take a seat at the counter!
Toku (deluxe) tantanmen — 1,150 yen
Ajitama tantanmen — 1,050 yen
Tantanmen — 950 yen
Akazukin — 1,200 yen
Niboshi chuka soba — 850 yen
Soupless tantanmen — 850 yen
Abura soba — 850 yen
Tantan mazesoba — 950 yen
From the main tantanmen to soupless tantanmen, abura soba, mazesoba, and niboshi chuka soba, the menu is quite extensive.
Well, since it is my first visit, tantanmen seemed the obvious choice, so I went with the toku tantanmen.
Paper aprons and other items are set out next to the ticket machine, so you grab one on your way to your seat.
I noticed something once I sat down: by the ticket machine where the paper aprons were, I had noticed mayonnaise, vinegar, garlic, and the like, but apparently that is actually the topping corner. Can you take them freely to your seat, or do you bring your bowl over there to add them, ha. It is a unique setup.
You can choose the spice level for the tantanmen when ordering, so I opted for medium spice.
Oh, so this is what it looks like!
Well, having seen mazesoba, abura soba, and garlic on the menu, I somewhat anticipated it, but it is indeed a hearty, heavyweight tantanmen.
Pork back fat and garlic sit atop the bean sprouts.
Taking a sip of the broth: yes, hearty, but straightforward and unpretentious — a solid tantanmen.
It follows an orthodox direction with a rich, pronounced sesame flavor. I thought it might lean more toward Jiro-style — the heavy-piled Ramen Jiro school — but it is very much proper tantanmen.
The noodles cling nicely to the tantan broth and taste great.
Adding extra garlic after this turned it into a different kind of tantanmen altogether. I wondered if it might not pair well, but perhaps it works because there is plenty of back fat in the broth.
So there you have it: worthy of a runner-up title, it was thoroughly delicious.
If I ever visit again, adding a generous helping of garlic to the soupless tantanmen might turn out to be surprisingly good!
Men-dokoro Nakigoe (Ramen / Nishi-magome Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
