shoyu ramen
On my second try I made it to Ivan Ramen, the Tokyo ramen shop owned by transplanted New York chef Ivan Orkin that has received lots of favorable attention from both bloggers and newspapers such as The Japan Times and even New York Times. So why was it my second try? Well, the first time I went, I showed up in time for dinner on a Saturday, only to find that they’re only open for lunch on weekends. So next time I was in Tokyo I was sure to get there at lunchtime. And I wasn’t the only one. There was a line of hungry customers stretching back into the adjacent alley. As we waited for a seat at the cozy counter inside, we passed around a menu to whet our appetites. With just 10 seats around the bar, it was sure to be a long wait, and my stomach was really rumbling by the end.
Once seated, I ordered the slow-roasted garlic mazemen and Alex got the shoyu ramen. We also split the roasted tomato meshi, which was more food than we needed, but it looked so good that I really wanted to try it. Ivan was really friendly, chatting with us while he made our ramen.
slow roasted garlic mazemen with everything (charshu, hanjuku tamago, onions, and ao-nori)
Mmm… A taste of these delicious dishes revealed that it was worth the wait, but next time I think I’ll try to show up a little earlier to beat the crowd.
roasted tomato meshi
Okonomiyaki 