Beyond Houston • Tokyo, Japan
My Tokyo Food Tour: Ichiran Ramen, Standing Sushi, Kakekomi Gyoza & Zan
This Tokyo food tour had me trying everything from a customized bowl of ramen to sushi, dumplings and horse sashimi. There were so many good bites, but the rich broth at Ichiran and the seafood bowl at Zan were two I kept thinking about.
What I ordered and what I thought
Ichiran in Shimbashi
I ordered from the ticket machine, then filled out a card to customize my ramen. I chose a rich broth, garlic, green onions, pork and medium noodle firmness. The garlic aroma hit me as soon as the bowl arrived.
The broth was so rich and delicious that I could have drunk it from a cup. The noodles were exactly how I liked them, and the pork was excellent. Thomas and I also shared an egg with a beautiful orange yolk. I loved being able to make the whole bowl suit my taste.
Standing sushi outside Tsukiji Market
This tiny standing sushi bar served only four people at a time during our visit. I tried different tuna cuts, shrimp and scallop. The chef had already balanced the rice, fish, soy sauce and wasabi, so I didn’t need to add anything.
The tuna tasted so clean, and the textures were wonderful. Every time I thought the next bite couldn’t be better, it surprised me. I thought the prices were reasonable for the quality.
Kakekomi Gyoza
The unexpected favorite here was an appetizer with egg yolk and chives. It was crisp, salty and creamy all at once, and we ended up ordering about five of them. The fried chicken was incredibly juicy, too.
I tried the regular dumplings and the black ginger dumplings. I preferred the ginger flavor, but the wrappers were a little too thick and doughy for me.
We also tried horse sashimi. Of the cuts we tasted, the heart was my favorite. It didn’t taste gamey to me; the texture and flavor reminded me more of good raw fish than what I’d expected.
Zan’s seafood bowl
My bowl had a beautiful selection of seafood, including tuna, otoro, uni, sweet shrimp and salmon roe. The tuna was so fresh and buttery. I loved the rice with its sesame seeds and nori, and the salmon roe had just enough saltiness to go with it.
Miso soup came alongside the bowl. I finished practically every grain of rice, which tells you how much I enjoyed it.
How much was it?
- Ichiran classic tonkotsu ramen: Around US$6
- Kakekomi Gyoza: About ¥10,500 (around US$67) for our food and roughly three drinks each
- Zan seafood bowl: I estimated it at around US$20 at the time
What would I order again?
I’d repeat the rich, garlicky ramen at Ichiran, the tuna and scallop at the standing sushi bar, the chive-and-egg-yolk appetizer and fried chicken at Kakekomi, and that seafood bowl at Zan. The dumplings would be lower on my list because of the thick wrappers.
Restaurant details
Ichiran, Shimbashi
Address: 2F, 2-5-6 Shinbashi, Minato City, Tokyo 105-0004, Japan
Standing sushi bar outside Tsukiji Market
Address: 4-8-7 Tsukiji, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
Kakekomi Gyoza
Address: No. 58 Tokyo Building, 1-12-2 Kabukicho, Shinjuku City, Tokyo 160-0021, Japan
Zan Restaurant
Address: Lions Mansion Higashi-Ginza B1, 4-12-2 Tsukiji, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
Check each restaurant’s current hours before planning your stops.