Let me start by saying that this place is only open for 3.5 hours on weekdays and only for 2 on Saturdays and holidays. It is one of those small, pretentious shops that think too much of itself. The soup is a combination of fish stock and pork/chicken stock, so that it tastes fishy yet is also fatty. The noodles are on the thick side. Overall I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Back when my workplace had a satellite office in Akabane, I used to go to "Men Takahashi" fairly often. I suddenly remembered the taste from back then, got nostalgic, and visited for the first time in a while. For me, it's one of my "top 5 favorite ramen shops." I arrived before noon on a weekday, but there was already a line of about 5 people in front of the shop. After waiting about 20 minutes I went in and ordered what I'd come for, the "Half Mixed Meat Noodles (1,100円)." Beyond anything you'd imagine from the modest name "half," the volume of the ramen that came out was as overwhelming as ever! Two large slices of loin and fatty pork belly were beautifully laid out, a visual meat lovers can't resist. The soup has a strong hit of my beloved niboshi (dried sardine) dashi, and it pairs perfectly with the thick noodles with their great texture. It hits hard and soaks right into your body……! Also, "fish powder" and "chopped onions" are provided on the table, on a self-service system where you drop in coins depending on how many spoonfuls you take. In the second half, I added fish powder and onions to change up the flavor and finished it in one go. With its one-of-a-kind deliciousness, my stomach and heart were completely satisfied. This really is the best shop. I'll definitely be back. Thank you for the meal!

+2

Men Takahashi Akabane Chuo-gai. Right about in the middle if you draw a line between Akabane Station and Akabane-Iwabuchi Station. There's a popular ramen shop here with a line every day. By the way, the shop's entrance is one street in from Akabane Chuo-gai. It's in front of a shop called Ranpu. The time was just past 11. Already 5 people waiting. The shop has posted rules and unposted rules. I sort of sensed that you go inside when a seat opens up. I got to the front of the line, and while I was waiting for them to clear the bowls and such left at the seat, I was told, "Come on inside~, we won't call you in~. Come in when a seat opens up~." There was still a water glass at the seat, so I was waiting, but apparently even with a glass there, the seat counts as open. This game is hard. I ordered the half mixed meat noodles. It seems you "order when asked" and "decide in advance." Also, "when lining up, line up where you can be seen," "don't touch your phone while waiting at your seat," and "ask before taking photos." The ramen arrived in about 3 minutes. You "must not take the bowl from them" and should "wait for the owner to set it down." Right away, a sip of the soup. A light seafood soup, contrary to its looks. Rather than a dashi feel, it's a soup for enjoying the aroma and flavor of fish powder; light and easy to eat, yet the saltiness is firmly there and the aftertaste has a punch. The noodles are springy medium-thick noodles. By this point I was too scared to take a noodle-lift photo, but they were chewy and delicious. The chashu has a heft you wouldn't believe is "half." Some of the meat is more than half pure fat, and it feels less like chashu and more like you're really eating meat. I added onions, which are "free up to 3 scoops." The fish powder somehow felt like too much hassle, so I decided not to add it. Anyway, I wanted to eat fast and get out of this space. By the way, apparently "women are checked in advance on whether they might disrupt the lot." I'm a relatively fast eater, but even so my pace wasn't that different from the regular-looking people on either side of me. Everyone eats fast. Apparently "10,000 yen notes are prohibited at payment" and you should "pay the exact amount as much as possible," and "when regulars pay the exact amount they get a word of thanks, but when a first-timer like me pays exact, there's nothing." When I left, there was a line of over 10 people. Incredibly popular. It was a shop with a system that neatly weeds out "casual fans" like me. If you're curious, please do go. Well then, thank you for the meal. It was delicious.

+3

・Pork belly meat noodles ¥1,150 ※ Order verbally, pay afterward ※ Chopped onions & fish powder free up to 3 scoops (4～7 scoops 10 yen, 8 or more 30 yen, paid on the honor system into the basket by the entrance) This day I headed to the popular Akabane shop "Men Takahashi" for the chashu-piled niboshi ramen that my mentor @gou.stagram1950 had also been to! This shop is a popular niboshi ramen shop with a super old-school exterior and interior, and even now, over 25 years since opening in March 2000, it still draws lines, a hugely popular shop💁‍♂️ Also selected for Tabelog TOP 5000, its mains are ramen and tsukesoba in a seafood × animal broth with strong niboshi and dried fish flakes, using Asakusa Kaikaro's chewy, springy medium-thick slightly wavy noodles, and the meat noodles made with hearty, delicious pork shoulder loin and pork belly, rumored to be "something you can only taste here," are also popular! Having taken on the challenge after a 23-hour fast from lunch the day before, I arrived at 11:15 on a certain Wednesday; there were 6 people waiting outside but turnover was fairly quick, and by 11:33 I was at the counter! The owner asks for your order, so I ordered the pork belly meat noodles verbally! It arrived about 3 minutes later🍜 ・Soup You're overwhelmed by the visual of chashu covering the whole bowl, reminiscent of "Kita-Otsuka Ramen" where not a single noodle is visible, but in my hunger-sharpened state, the aroma of niboshi soaks into my body🤩 A deep animal・seafood soup combining seafood like niboshi and mackerel flakes with animal stock like chicken, delicious! The niboshi umami and fish flakes come through, but adding 3 scoops of the fish powder on the table makes it even richer and tastier😍 The chopped onions, free up to 3 scoops just like the fish powder, are crunchy and match the soup really well! ・Noodles Asakusa Kaikaro's chewy, springy medium-thick slightly wavy noodles have just the right firmness and are great to slurp! They go well with the soup's aroma and with the soup as the chashu's umami and sweetness gradually melt into it🤤 ・Toppings The chashu covering the bowl, some slices overlapping, comes to about 10 slices, and the moment you put it in your mouth, umami and sweetness spread🥹 The sweet-salty tare has soaked all the way into every fiber of the meat, so you never get tired of it, and the menma with its nice bite also shows real care! Since it was my first meal in 23 hours, the deliciousness lasted to the very end without getting old! I figured the shoulder loin might be tough so I went with the pork belly meat noodles, but I'll be back to eat the mixed meat noodles and chashu noodles too! I'll come back to try the super-spicy chashu noodles that are supposedly not that spicy🙌 ■Men Takahashi Uchiyama Bldg. 1F, 1-38-10 Akabane, Kita-ku, Tokyo 4 min walk from JR Akabane Station East Exit 6 min walk from Exit 2 of Akabane-Iwabuchi Station on the Namboku Line (296m) ■Business hours: Mon・Tue・Wed・Thu・Fri ・11:00 - 13:20 ・17:20 - 18:10 Sat・public holidays ・10:20 - 12:45 ■Closed: Sundays, irregular holidays ※Business hours and closing days are subject to change, so please check with the shop before visiting. ■Payment: cash only ■Seats: 7 (7 counter seats)

+3

Meat-filled tsukesoba Double noodles Soy sauce egg Total 1,450円 On weekdays the evening service runs from 17:20 to 18:00, extremely short hours. I left work early and changed subway lines from my office to come here. I arrived 20 minutes before opening and joined the line in 2nd place. After going in, it was served in about 7〜8 minutes. The tsukesoba dipping broth is light on the soy tare but doesn't feel lacking at all; it's a style that puts the strength of the soup, with niboshi and other seafood coming through, front and center, and it pairs perfectly with Asakusa Kaikaro's thick noodles. The dipping broth also has loads of irregularly cut chashu with a great chew. There are detailed local rules, but hats off to the owner for serving high-quality food at a low price✨

+1