Food Review: Nakiryu (鳴龍) Ramen in Tokyo, Japan | World’s Second Michelin Starred Ramen Restaurant after Tsuta, and here’s why!

Posted on December 19, 2017 by theRantingPanda in Food

The Place After Tsuta (review of Singapore’s branch) was bestowed the first ever Michelin Star ramen in the world in December 2015, we finally have a second Michelin Starred ramen restaurant awarded in 2017. Meet Nakiryu (鳴龍) ramen, a nondescript 10-seaters ramen restaurant located about 10 minutes walk from Otsuka station.

We reached at around 11.15am before its opening time at 11.30am, and was greeted with about 30 people ahead of us in the queue. No surprises there.

The Food Here comes the million dollar question – what makes Nakiryu ramen so special? It is famous for its Dandan Noodles in spicy broth, inspired by Chinese Sichuan cuisine. This is also one of the cheapest Michelin meal you can ever get in the world, where its signature Tantanmen (担々麵) is only priced at 850yen.

Upon entering the shop, there is a ramen machine to purchase your ramen, with 辛麺 (spicy broth) at the top being the signature broth. There are also other types of ramen like soy based, salt based and tsukemen (dipping ramen). If it is your first time to Nakiryu, go straight for the 辛麺 (spicy broth) since this is what makes it famous and unique.

There are three types of 辛麺 ramen to choose from – Tantanmen (担々麵, original spicy broth), Mala tantanmen (麻辣担々麵, more spicy) and Sanramen (酸辣麺, a combination of sour and spicy broth). Note that there is a limit of one ramen per person to cater to the long queue.

The Tantanmen (850yen) is the most delicious ramen I probably had in my life, as the taste is nothing like the gazillion bowls of ramen I had before. The broth is not that spicy, very creamy and is topped with minced meat and scallions. It is rich, yet not cloying at all. I finished till the last drop. The noodle texture is so good too, springy to the right degree.

We also tried the Sanramen, a sour and spicy broth. Like the Tantanmen, the spiciness is mild for me though the balance of sourness and spiciness is just right here. I much preferred the Tantanmen though The Rantee found more satisfaction in the Sanramen. In any case, if you are in a party of two, I highly recommend trying both types of ramen.

Toppings are also available. We added Shrimp wanton (200yen), Braised pork (200yen) and Soy dipped egg (100yen) to our ramen. If you have a big appetite, I also highly recommend the Diced braised pork on rice (150yen) which is only available for lunch.

Rants Be prepared to queue for at least 60 to 90 minutes. We waited for closed to 2 hours.

Will I Return Again? Nakiryu is the best food I had this year and also the most interesting ramen I ever had. The ramen is very good, and that extends to their service as well. Needless to say, we finished every drop of our broth. It is hard to come by, for a Michelin restaurant with such good value. I will fly back to Tokyo just for this.