Here’s another new feature we’re trying: Local Loves. We prefer to support local business and small business owners whenever possible, and we wanted to share our favorites with you!
The unassuming outside of Black Noodle House. You would never guess that such deliciousness is hiding inside!
My favorite go-to lunch spot in our neighborhood, Meguro, is one of the local ramen joints. There are at least ten ramen restaurants within five minutes of our apartment, and this one became our favorite after some extensive, delicious research. The name translates roughly as “Black Noodle House” because the interior is painted almost entirely black (not because the noodles are black). It’s a tiny place, like most ramen houses, and seats only 14 people. If I’m craving ramen for lunch, I have to go before 11:30 or after 1:15, because there is always a line outside the door of people waiting for one of the coveted lunchtime seats.
It’s hard to imagine how fantastic ramen is if you’ve never been to Japan. There’s nothing quite like it in the States, although it’s become fairly trendy lately and there are restaurants cropping up in the bigger cities. It’s a huge bowl full of slightly chewy noodles in an incredibly rich, flavorful broth. It comes in a variety of options depending on the restaurant, but most houses carry salt, miso, pork, and soy flavors. You can add a beautiful soft-boiled egg with a bright orange, creamy center. Or you can make it spicy. And get extra cabbage, bean sprouts, toasted nori sheets or roasted pork slices. Then once it gets to your table, you can choose from the condiments in front of you to customize it even more to your taste with sesame seeds, spicy chili oil, roasted sesame oil, black pepper, pickles, and more. It never gets old because you can make it a totally different experience every time you go!
Some of the condiments: sesame seeds, pepper, mustard, chili oil, etc.
Pickles at the table. That color is real, that’s really how bright they are!
My favorite version of ramen is spicy pork broth with a slice of tender, roasted pork and the phenomenal boiled egg. Spicy ramen at any restaurant is seriously spicy, so don’t order it unless you can tolerate spicy foods. I’m always a mess when I leave: I’m covered in broth splashes, I have to blow my nose because my sinuses have been suddenly cleared, and I’m sweating from the spice level. But I’m always happy. Very happy.
My favorite order: spicy pork broth with a soft-centered egg.
The vending machine, which is very intimidating to non-Japanese speakers.
One of the reasons I love Black Noodle House is because they have a terrific hot-day option. No one wants to stick their face in a bowl of steaming, spicy soup on a hot summer day, but what do you do if you still need your ramen fix? (I know, I know, First World Problems!) You order tsukemen, or “dipping ramen.” I found it because I can’t read much Japanese by divine intervention. You place your order at a ticket machine in most ramen houses, where the menu items are written on buttons (in Japanese, of course). You put your money in, press the button for the item you want, and a little ticket pops out which you hand to one of the staff. Sometimes a nice patron or employee will help poor foreigners figure out what to order, but oftentimes you just have to pick a button and hope for the best! Don’t forget which button you pressed, though, in case you like what you got and want to order it again some day. I accidentally pressed the wrong button one day, and was pretty surprised when my meal came. They delivered a bowl of soup without the noodles! I closed my eyes and cursed myself for not being able to read Japanese better, which is a regular occurrence. When I opened my eyes, they delivered a second bowl with cold noodles, a slice of pork and a few sheets of nori. What on earth? I had to resort to Google to figure out what to do. You dip a bite or two of the cold noodles in the hot broth, eat, and repeat. The noodles are coated in the rich ramen broth without you sweating throughout your entire meal on an already hot day. And it’s a delightful mouth sensation: cold, chewy noodles with warm, rich broth. Tsukemen is a delicious, ingenious solution that helps me survive the hot Tokyo summers.
Tsukemene, or dipping ramen.
There are two other things that I love about Black Noodle House: the music and the staff. You never know what kind of music you’ll hear when you visit this restaurant. One day it will be J-pop and the next day it’s Motown. Or The Beatles. Or The Black Eyed Peas. Or Radiohead. And the staff is young and energetic. When you walk through the door, they all YELL “Irasshai!” at you (which basically means “welcome”) and when you leave they shout “arigatou gozaimasu!” (“thank you very much!”) at the top of their lungs. These are common phrases you’ll hear when you enter and leave restaurants in Japan, but the enthusiasm and volume level at Black Noodle House are unparalleled. This restaurant makes me smile every time!
The walls are lined with notes and drawings from patrons. The middle one is my favorite, because that’s exactly how I feel when I eat the spicy ramen at Black Noodle House! Sweating, crying and smiling at the same time.
