Giant bowls of ramen. Half of it bean sprouts stacked high. The noodles seem to be made in the back where the machines are visible.

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It packs quite a punch. 坦々つけ麺 (1,050円) ＋ extra vegetables (50円) I arrived 10 minutes after the 11時30分 opening, and there was already a customer inside. I ordered the menu items above and waited at my seat. Cold water is self-service, so I got some before the noodles arrived. Another customer came in after that. There's only counter seating, so you can see the cooking clearly. Other reviews mentioned 「thick noodles」, but looking at the noodles boiling in the pot, they really were 「thick noodles」, or rather 「extra-thick noodles」. Looking at the earlier customer's noodles, they were really thick! I don't know the quantity, but true to the Jiro-inspired description, 「vegetables」 towered above the bowl. It had been a while since I'd seen a Jiro mountain. I haven't eaten 「Jiro」 much lately, so it packs a punch. Meanwhile, part of my 「坦々つけ麺」 order arrived. First came the 「noodles」 and 「dipping broth」. I'd ordered medium, but the bowl was full of extra-thick noodles. Just as I briefly wondered whether I'd made a mistake, another bowl of vegetables arrived. I was really overwhelmed. I worried whether I'd be able to finish, but put some extra-thick noodles and bean sprouts into the dipping broth. When I took a bite, a faint spice aroma that seemed to be 「star anise」 and the heat spread through my mouth. It was quite spicy, switching me into battle mode. This restaurant gives you 1 free boiled egg, so I added it to the dipping broth. The amount of thick noodles surprised me, but the spiciness helped them slip down easily. It wasn't cloying either, so the meal went along pretty smoothly. There was also 1 thick slice of chashu, which was quite substantial. Finally, I drank all the dipping broth and successfully finished everything. Just as the reviews said, both the quantity and flavor were faultless for me. It's near 東京科学大学, so it's geared toward students. Next time I'll try medium 担々麺 ＋ extra vegetables. Thank you for the meal.

+3

I was incredibly hungry, so I went into a restaurant that caught my eye without knowing anything about it beforehand. Unexpectedly, they had Jiro-style tantanmen, so I ordered a medium tantanmen. 300g of extra-thick noodles. A mountain of vegetables, 1 slice of meltingly tender chashu, and a free boiled egg only for those who can finish everything^_^ It tasted lighter than it looked, maybe there's a little curry powder in it? It had a distinctive flavor. (Quite tasty) Personally I liked it, but it felt more like a lighter Jiro ramen than tantanmen, with an easy-to-enjoy flavor. I was stuffed but had no heartburn. It was a spontaneous visit, but the right choice.

+1

A restaurant in a residential neighborhood a short walk from 大岡山駅. That said, it's only a few minutes from the station. When you enter, there's a meal-ticket machine on the left. Buy what you want, take a seat at the counter—the only seating—and hand over the ticket to order. This time I ended up ordering Kakuni Ramen (medium). On my previous visit I'd ordered Kakuni Tsukemen (medium) and regretted the excessive quantity, yet I (a 57-year-old man) never learn and didn't realize I'd made the same mistake when buying the ticket. The price difference between (small) and (medium) is so tiny that I'm tempted to think 「medium might be better value」. But unless you can really put away food, it's a substantial portion, especially with the thick, chewy, curly noodles. Water is self-service. There are boiled eggs beside the dispenser with a sign saying 「1 free」, so that's something to remember. The wall says 「Hearty eating time from 13:30」, and apparently from 13時半, even if you order (small), you get 100g extra noodles, making it (medium), at no extra charge. As for the flavor, the kakuni has quite a strong star anise flavor and is simmered in a sweet sauce, so eating it together made it feel like a somewhat sweet, star-anise-flavored ramen. If you dislike sweet flavors or star anise, you'd be better off ordering something else. You can also adjust the flavor with the garlic and chili at the counter, so I think there are various ways to enjoy it. As a result, I was absolutely stuffed again. But on this second visit, I confirmed that (small) is the right amount for me, so I'm leaving this note as a reminder. The price was around 1200円.