Pork Broth Ramen in Shinjuku's Gay Area

The perfect night cap.

Tonkotsu Ramen in Tokyo

It's everywhere, so don't worry about it. You'll see it somewhere during your time here. So, what is Tonkotsu Ramen?

 Quick rundown:

• Pork Broth
• Cheap
• Found all over Japan
• Perfect end to a night on the sauce

Tonight we will be visiting Hakata Tengin.

Certainly looks official.

Hakata Tengin is perfectly located. It's not far from Shinjuku San Chome (a really fun drinking area) and also right next to Shinjuku Ni Chome (a really fun gay drinking area). So expect drunk people slurping down noodles. Or the occasional drag queen dressed as Sailor Moon.

There are no frills to be had here.

The menu is pretty simple. It is all the same ramen with variations on toppings or the amount of pork you want. I always order the ramen when I come here. Shocking, I know. Like going to a Mexican restaurant and ordering "The Taco". The ramen is simple, delicious and comes with all the basics.

A Basic Ramen  to get you back on your feet

Did you drink a bit too much in the gay area or san chome? Is it 4AM and you need somewhere to sit to pass the time until the first train? Are you completely out of money? if you answered yes to these questions then it is time for ramen at Hakata Tengin.

We've got our egg, our nice long al dente noodles, our kurage, chashu pork and some green onions. Kurage is Wood Ear mushroom. A type of dehydrated mushroom that used to live on a tree in some forest near Mt. Fuji, or wherever trees are, I dunno. I live in Tokyo. It's delicious and even if you are not a mushroom fanyou'll be ok with this one.

Condiment alert! All right we've got a lot to unpack here. On the left we have Chinese Garlic in a spicy sauce with a bit of dried bonito. If you would like to spice up your ramen just scoop a bit into your bowl. Add it slowly because it can totally alter the flavor of the ramen. The pink one is benishoga which is a type of pickled ginger and a MUST for any bowl of Tonkotsu Ramen. Next up, we have white pepper in the little silver shaker. The tall silver shaker is filled with sesame seeds and the yellow bottle is soy sauce because sometimes ramen isn't salty enough, said no one, not ever. Over there on the far right is a container filled with crushed garlic. If you dump this on the ramen you'll have a much easier time finding a seat on the crowded trains tomorrow. No one is going to want to sit by your pungent ass. Probably worth it though.

Cut that guy off.

This stuff is a life saver after a few too many drinks. You'll wake up feeling all the better for it the next day. Also, you're on holiday, eat up. There are less healthy things to eat, I'm sure. This probably lands somewhere between Big Mac and deep fried cheese steak. It's amazing though and it's not possible to get sick of eating ramen in Tokyo! 

I have saved the best news for last. A Tokyo food blog is a harsh mistress. I've spent more money eating in the one month I've been doing this than is probably financially sound. So I am pleased to report this bowl of ramen costs a whopping 500 yen. That's about 4.50 USD folks. So eat up. If you finish your noodles and have broth left they'll fill it back up with noodles for another dollar. What a world we live in!

Enjoy!