After trying Momofuku Noodle Bar and Ippudo I thought I had tasted the best ramen this city had to offer. Then last night I went to Totto Ramen and ordered their Miso Ramen and somehow it blew the others away. The belly pork was better at Momofuku, but oh the rich umami sauce at Totto was heavenly. The metal kitchen and the hot bowl of soup in front of me took me back to the time when Gareth and I arrived in Moto-hakone late one evening in a downpour, and the only place we could find food was a sort of glass-walled ramen-shack bolted on to someone’s house where the TV showed a gameshow about knowing the difference between similar kanji.
Next time I’ll try the spicy or ‘extreme spicy’ ramen — it has a lot of chillies on the menu.
