Tokyo    ramen    in English    24 by 7     
 

2009-12-26

MomoNoKi/Shinjuku Gyoenmae
桃の木/新宿御苑前

  

This place was formerly called Hirugao and got a Recommended rating at that time, based more on the grilled pork more than anything else. Working behind the counter today were two young female ramen-ya-sans, the first time I have ever seen that, no men at all. They have two broths to choose from, the one on the left in the picture of the sign above is "konbu-shoyu", the one on the left is shio flavor, more specifically "ten-pi-shio" or "ten-jitsu-en" (the exact pronunciation is not clear) sun-dried sea salt flavor. I had the salt flavor broth as that is what Hirugao was famous for before. The noodles are also similar in taste and texture to the ones originally from Hirugao, albeit a bit thicker. No toppings are available any more, although they can do the noodles as atsumori (in warm water) if you want. The broth now has shaved pork slices in it, similar to the slices you get in the beef bowl at Yoshinoya, along with chopped up onions and thin strips of agedoufu. I'm disappointed that the pork is no longer part of the picture anymore. Water is self-serve, put your dishes up on the counter when you leave. I certainly hope these two ladies succeed but their approach doesn't seem special enough to me, it is basically no different from nikushiru udon, almost.

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