Served delicious Hiroshima style okonomiyaki!

A great location right by 地下鉄赤塚駅. A ramen shop that's been here for ages. But somehow, I'd always found its atmosphere a little intimidating to enter. I remember it simply being a ramen shop before, but around the COVID pandemic, okonomiyaki joined the lineup. It has a large gas-fired griddle, offering both Hiroshima and Kansai styles. I stopped by for the first time on a weekday evening because PayPay was offering 20% cashback. The 本マグロすき身 portion was extremely small and hadn't even fully thawed. Maybe sashimi here is a no-go... My mistake. I chose とん平焼き from the griddle menu. It was ordinary enough. As an izakaya, it's below average. There are lots of unusual items like 土佐のぶしゅかんサワー. The menu certainly covers a lot. The interior doesn't feel particularly clean either. The owner is unfriendly. Unusually these days, smoking is allowed at your seat, and the owner smokes inside too, so plenty of people probably couldn't tolerate it. There was only one other party besides me that day, so the place wasn't smoky at all, and it wasn't a problem. On the other hand, there's GUM in the restroom and they accept PayPay, so it doesn't seem like service has been abandoned entirely. Perhaps the owner is just an awkward type. Now for ramen to finish. I ordered 焦がし醤油ラーメン, which seemed to be their top recommendation. Apparently you can choose thick, medium-thick, thin, or Hakata noodles. The banner outside said 西山製麺, while inside it said 開花楼, so just as I was wondering which one it was, I understood... Ah, that's why. I ordered thick noodles, hoping for 西山製麺. I don't know whether I got it right. I should have simply asked, 「Which ones are 西山製麺?」 The ramen was interesting. It was good. For ramen, 4; as an izakaya, 2; averaging out to 3. It made me think I might come back at lunchtime just for ramen and try different noodles. PayPay accepted. Thank you for the meal.

+3

I ate here for lunch. こがし醤油らぁ麺９３０円. Boxes from 西山ラーメン and 浅草開化楼 are stacked outside the shop. I visited at １２:３０ during lunchtime, but there was only one regular drinking alcohol inside, so it was incredibly empty. I verbally ordered こがし醤油らぁ麺. They asked about noodle thickness, so I requested medium-thick. My impression after eating it was that it was tastier than expected, a pleasant surprise. It doesn't have a strong impact or distinctive character, but there's nothing particularly wrong either; it's a solid bowl. The complimentary takana and red pickled ginger are a nice touch. Thank you for the meal.

+3

I happened to notice the sign 「広島お好み焼き」 while passing by, and we talked about going sometime. Then an unexpected opportunity to stop by came up, so we visited. I've never had Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki in Tokyo that tasted good as proper 広島お好み焼き, so, with apologies, I wasn't expecting much from this one either. As expected, this one also falls short as 広島お好み焼き. It's tasty as food, but it wasn't Hiroshima okonomiyaki. The bar snacks were a little disappointing, but I enjoyed the ramen. I wouldn't call it outstanding, but it's good. It might not suit ramen enthusiasts, though… You could choose thick or curly noodles. There was no mention of 広島お好み焼き when I checked Street View, so perhaps they started serving it fairly recently. I feel the noodles inside the okonomiyaki would be better without sauce flavoring…

+3

Even looking at the menu, it only felt like a drinking spot, but you can get properly made ramen here. This time I had 月光つけ麺 since it bore the restaurant's name, and it was unexpectedly delicious. Worth another visit! By the way, you could choose straight or curly noodles.

+2