Ramen Zero/ShimoMeguroラーメンゼロ/下目黒

The early February 2009 meeting of the Ramen Lovers Club convened at the relatively new Ramen Zero, about 3-4 mins walk north of Tokyu Fudomae Station, or about 15 mins walk west from JR Meguro Station, if you take this path past the Meguro Gajoen then be prepared for a steep down hill. Well this place has gotten a lot of press recently and was more often than not been featured in the first few pages, the prime real estate, of most of the 2009 ramen preview magazines that came out in January. Getting there very early has its advantages - we got there just before 7 PM, and waited only about 15 mins, then took about 20 mins to eat. However when we walked out there was a very long line, about 15-20 people. I ordered the chashu tsukemen, with some slices of chashu and some small bits in the bowl. The broth from ramen zero appears to be a chicken/pork mixture, with menmas and small bits of pork mixed into the broth. The wait staff really rushed people in and out, also it was very brightly lit inside, not a lot of ambiance overall, So I think this place is a bit over-hyped and not the type of experience that I was hoping for from this place from the Setagaya ramen chain (the Setagaya ramen location and some of its sister locations in Setagaya-ku). The service was very quick, as I mentioned they will they will take your order before you sit down. Here is a picture of the ticket machine. Suprisingly, given the chicken flavor, the similar noodles, and the little bits of meat in the broth, overall I got a strong taste "flash-back" to Campbells' Chicken Noodle soup, which I probably had not had in 5 years.

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