Tsuta is the first ramen restaurant to ever be awarded a Michelin star. During our trip to Tokyo, we made sure to visit.
Eating at Tsuta takes some planning. You must get a ticket early in the morning before the restaurant opens and then come back at your designated time. The ramen shop is in a more remote part of Tokyo as well, taking us about 30 minutes to get there from Shinjuku.
We arrived a little before 9 AM and luckily all four seatings were still available. We chose our seating, handed over our deposit (the money is refunded to you when you come back to eat) and then headed back to our hotel.
When you arrive at your designated time, there is still a little bit of a wait. We waited about 30 minutes before we were seated.
Each guest is limited to one bowl of ramen. After so much effort to eat here, I actually had hoped we would be able to try each of the different broths available but I understand the reason for limiting the orders.
Charsiu Wonton Ajitama Shoyu Soba
The shoyu soba seems to be the most popular and recommended option so that is what we chose. After we were seated at the bar, we watched as the chef put the last delicate touches to each bowl. I really loved the attention to detail and care given to each bowl. Once the bowl is put in front of you, it is recommended that you start eating right away so there wasn’t much time for photos.
Normally, shoyu (soy sauce) broth is far too salty for me, but I really loved the shoyu broth at Tsuta. It was subtle but it had so many layers of flavor. I nearly drank my whole bowl of broth which is quite rare for me.
Every other element was well executed. The egg had a beautiful jam center, the charsiu was very tender and moist. I didn’t think the wontons were really needed but they did make the bowl fuller.
Ajitama Shoyu Soba
Here is the version without the wontons. My brother ordered the shio broth which I sampled but didn’t get a chance to photo. While it was good, we all thought the shoyu was better.
Wagyu oil garlic roast pork rice
This rice bowl was loaded with crispy garlic, wagyu truffle oil and thin slices of roast pork. This was quite flavorful and we enjoyed it as well, though we loved the ramen more.
Overall, I think Tsuta is worth visitng. The ramen was one of the best bowls of ramen I’ve eaten and I also like that the prices are the same as any other ramen shop. The staff was extremely nice as well. Yes, it is a little bit of a hassle to go, which is why we only visited once during our trip, but I do think it is worth at least one visit.
They have opened other shops in Asia and plan on expanding to San Francisco and Los Angeles, so I am looking forward to that.
Menu:
Tsuta
1 Chome-14-１ Sugamo, Toshima, Tokyo 170-0002, Japan
