Tsuta Japanese Soba Noodle

Selfie at the front of Tsuta!

It only takes us 18 months, but we finally visit the first ramen shop to receive a Michelin star, Tsuta Japanese Soba Noodle. 

It's located in northern Tokyo, near Rikugien Garden (where we go to see the trees lit up at night in autumn and at cherry blossom time).  On a Tuesday, Steve makes the 30 minute trip (each way) to get our tickets at 8:00am.  There's no line, so he's able to walk right in the shop to get them (after waiting and watching two other people do the same thing).  We're have reservations for the seating that starts at 11:00am.  Perfect!  (Side Note - while we're there at 11:00am, tourists walk up to the restaurant.  They're able to get tickets for 12:30pm - so at least on a random weekday, they're not selling out all the times first thing in the morning.)

Everything explained in English - nice!

What is this place?

If you're unsure if you're at the right place, just look for this building across the street.  Is it a hotel?  A capsule hotel?  An old church?  We couldn't quite figure it out, but it was interesting to look at while we waited. 

We arrive around 10:50am for our lunch, and there's already about 15 people in line.  We join them, and by 11:00am there's about 10 more people behind us.  About half the crowd is foreigners, the rest are Japanese.  While we stand there, we're able to check out the menu, in English.  

the main menu

At 11:00am they allow the first nine people inside - there are only nine seats at the counter - plus the next few in line, who can wait on a bench inside.  Unfortunately, we're still stuck standing outside in the heat for 20 more minutes.  

As people finish and leave, our turn comes to enter the restaurant.  First stop is the vending machine, where you place and pay for your order.  Cash only!  The numbers on the buttons match the numbers on the menu. 

Steve paying for our lunch at the vending machine.

Steve and I both decide to go with #1, the large size of the Shoyu Soba.  At $17 (regular size is $9, but also doesn't have the egg and wontons), it's a bargain price for a Michelin star meal!  (FYI - a bowl at a regular neighborhood place might be $4-5.)

Michelin star - here's the proof!

We sit on the bench inside the (air conditioned) restaurant for a few more minutes until our seats at the counter are ready, around 11:25am. We're on the end, so we have good views of the chefs at work. Typical with a ramen restaurant in Tokyo at lunch time, no one is talking - you're there to eat and go, so the next person can get to their lunch.

the finishing touches

adding some broth...

In our shoyu soba, the liquid is a mixture of a soy-based sauce and a stock of chicken and asari clams.  There are two types of pork, wontons, bamboo shoots, an egg, onions, seaweed and noodles made in-house.  The final touch is a sprinkling of black truffle powder (the mushrooms, not the chocolate).  The chef, Yuki Onishi, is known for putting western touches in his ramen.  The truffle powder is nice - it's more of a smell than a taste, but it adds an extra layer to the soup. 

My lunch bowl!

Steve eating his ramen (without slirping).

The verdict - overall it's good, but it's too salty for our palates.  The large size is a lot of food - I pass my bowl over to Steve for him to finish for me.  We're glad we tried it, but we probably won't make a special trip to eat at the restaurant again.  Besides, Steve hates the slurping sounds people make while eating ramen, so we don't go out to eat ramen often, anyway.  It's a fun experience, though!