DIVERSE Tokyo RAMEN TOUR with Incredible RAMEN EXPERT | Tokyo, Japan

The last bowl. This is so spicy. Good morning everyone. I hope you're all doing great. This is David Hoffman from David's Been Here in Tokyo, Japan. I'm here with my good friend Frank from 5AM Ramen. And Frank is actually a ramen expert. He's had thousands of ramen bowls here in Tokyo. I think you've been to like 500 shops. And yeah, today we're going on an epic ramen tour. We're visiting three spots. All diverse, right? Very different ramen in each spot. So ramen, well to me, obviously I guess it's the ultimate soul food. It's hot noodle soup, if you will. We're in a Gakugei Daigaku right now. Kind of like a local spot, as you can see from here. Yeah, it looks very local. I don't see any tourists here. No, definitely not. As such, the ramen shop too, it has definitely a local feel. Cool wooden interior. And of course, more than anything, fantastic ramen. Let's go. Here we go. Konnichiwa. So Frank, this is really unique. Yes. So we have to order at like a machine here. Yes. Okay, so how does this work? So basically, they've got quite a few options. They have like a thick chicken ramen that's quite rich and creamy. That's what they're best known for. So here, the first column, if you will, is that thick, creamy chicken ramen with a soy sauce base. Second column is with a salt base. Third column is if you want it spicy, kind of red-colored. There is the result. And then the fourth column here is a little bit lighter. That's what I'm going for. You're going for the spicy one? Yeah, I'm going to decide which one. And they also have skim in here too. So what do we do now? We've got our tickets. So we give them to our friend over here. First ramen I'm trying here is super spicy. No, it's not too spicy. Don't kill it. We'll see. No, no, no. I gave them a wink. I'm like, hey, man. No, I'm Western, but I can feel the spice. I'm sure you can. All right, here we go. We've got two ramen bowls. I've got a spicy ramen with chicken. I've got some egg, some lettuce, some onions. Oh, my God. This thing looks amazing. There's also some seaweed right here. And then yours is more like a plain one with the broth on the side. Yep. So dipping noodles. Noodles separate from the broth. Wow. It looks amazing. Yours looks like something I've never seen before. Yeah, this is pretty unique. Pretty unique. So I got Skemen. Skemen is literally dipping noodles. And noodles are separate from the broth. Noodles are usually meant to be served cold. You literally take the noodles from this dish here. And you dip them in a smaller bowl. Slurp up from there. All right, so I got like a super spicy. I hope Frank didn't make it too spicy. So it's spicy ramen. The ramen's inside. We've got the egg. Got the, you know, some lettuce here. Got the chicken right here. Some chicken balls. And what we do is we mix. And then we just like pull up. Oh, my God. Look at this, guys. This is so amazing. Frank, I'm sorry. I'm gonna have to dive in here. Wow. Look at that, bro. And it looks a little creamy too, right? It is, it is. It's a creamy, spicy ramen. Just diving in. Dude, the flavor here. Flavor's out of control. I've never had ramen like this. You know, eating ramen in the States is nothing like eating in Japan. This is like a whole nother level of deliciousness. So basically ramen is noodles with broth, chicken. Ooh, the spice, dude. The spice is catching up. Nah, it's good though. Oh, and do I just like slurp the whole thing? Yeah, so, you know, it's okay to slurp in Japan too. Yo, I'm gonna slurp this whole thing up. I'm gonna eat three ramens today. The egg. That egg's good as well. They do a fantastic job. The egg's outstanding, man. Dude, I am in love with this thing. So many flavors here. I've never had ramen like this though, man. Wow, so unique. I'm just gonna keep mixing it all in. And Steve, what do I do with the seaweed? So what I like to do is wrap the seaweed around some of the noodles. You know, get them a little bit. Yeah, exactly. And then I'll eat it with the seaweed kind of thing. That was almost like having ramen sushi. Like straight up, the combination. Yeah, yeah. Dude, this is outstanding. This is like, I'll say this is my favorite ramen of all time so far. I'm so happy to hear that. You know, what I like to do is take a little bit of the broth just to sample it by itself before. I would skim it because the broth is separate from the noodles. The broth is pretty potent. So when you take just some of it by itself, it's pretty intense. However, when you are, you know, dipping in the noodles, it's not as potent because just enough of that broth is clinging to the noodles. You dip them in like this and you just slurp up from here. Nice slurp, man. I practiced. I'm just so happy. This is like, I'm like a kid in a candy store right now eating this. It's like, it's too good and just the flavors and the creaminess to it. I've never had it like this. This is like almost having like a creamy pasta in a way, in the comparison to having like a regular, you know, tomato sauce pasta, like a bolognese. Wow. And then what you do, you grab that, grab a seaweed. I think I'm going to add this to the list of like dishes to try before you die. Like it's that good. They're very thick in terms of like what I know to be ramen. So, you know, wrap a little bit of noodles in the seaweed, personal preference. Then I'll dip in those noodles here, but broth, so it softens up a bit and then pull up for a more, you know, kind of sea, sea flavored experience. It's just the right amount of spice. Once you're done with your ramen, you still have a lot of the broth here. This broth is very thick. So I'm going to just have a little bit. So give you a spoon. You get some of the broth. Oh my God, man. So rich. So many flavors, a little spicy, super creamy. Dude, I mean, I would finish this whole thing, but we have two more to go. This guy is crazy. He's had seven before in a day. That's a record I haven't been able to get. That's a lot of ramen. That's a lot. Dude, all-time favorite ramen. I think the next one probably is going to beat this one. Okay, so we just left the first ramen place and that was such a delicious meal. And now we're here at the station. What's the name of the metro station? Gakugei Daigaku. Nicely done. Okay, I tried it last time. And then now we have to catch a train and go to... We're going to go to Shinjuku Sanchome, or the Shinjuku area, for the second ramen shop, shop number two. Shop number two? Yeah. Okay, you ready? I'm ready, I'm ready. Let's do it. So we just made it here to Shinjuku. This is the area where I'm staying at. It's actually, I think, the east side of Shinjuku. And as you can see, it's super clean. It's very modern. These are like low-rise buildings, five, six stories. And the next place we're going to is right around the corner. We have like 45 minutes to kill right now. So we're here at the convenience store. We're going to get some sake. What? This is sake? Yeah. My god, look at that. It's only two bucks. 220. Yeah, it's the cheapest it gets. Alright guys, sake time. Let me see how much change I got. 500? And then... There you go. Thank you. So we came to this little park here. Pretty cool park. And we're about to try some sake. Some cheapo sake. But it's not cheap, man. It's in Japan. It can't be that cheap. The quality should be good, yeah. Looks like water. Oh, yeah. Oh, it's... Okay, so this is the one I'm trying. I don't know what it says there, but it looks amazing. And this is pretty awesome. You can go to a convenience store and just buy some sake. Super cheap. Each one was like $2.50, so like $2.20. This is like some strong stuff, man. I know. Oh my god. I mean, it's a lot. This is like how many shots? So if you guys don't know what sake is, that's basically rice wine. Very, very famous in the States. If you go to any Japanese restaurant, you can get sake. Way more expensive there. And the technique and how they make it is really complex. Alright, I'm going to have to hold off on this until later. The name of the ramen shop is Gotsubo. They're known for soy sauce and salt. Kind of based ramen that also uses oysters and soybeans. Really unique taste. They're kind of going for a more fusion ramen. And it's lighter. Definitely lighter than the last place that we ate at. Sort of that heavy, creamy chicken ramen. But really, really good. Really, really dynamic ramen. Okay, so we made it here to our next spot. It's called Gotsubo. Like I said, this place is famous for having like a fusion ramen. They have oysters, soy sauce. I'm so excited. Let's go inside. Do it. Hello, hello. Everything good? So we've got a cute little vending machine here. Our choices include the shio ramen, which is a sea salt based ramen. And also soy sauce. So it's 790 for that one. That will be the shio one. Alright, I love this. Vending machine at every place. So you just click this one, right? I hope that was the right one. That was the right one, yeah. And then right here is the ticket. Fold our tickets. We skip it to her. We're also going to get some craft beer. It's called kuendo. Kuendo. Yeah, kuendo. Kuendo. Kuendo from Tokyo. This place is amazing. Only five seats here. So when you get here, if it's packed, you gotta wait. We waited like 20 minutes, but it's cool. And yeah, as you can see, only five seats and I'm in the back. And this is the kitchen. The kitchen and the seats. It's amazing. So they got massive bowls here. As you can see. Wow. Literally, I'm grabbing like... It's a huge bowl. Amazing, amazing smell. This is a soy sauce based one. And in their broth, they use oysters as well as soybeans or daiso in Japanese. And on top of that, they've got Iberian pork on top. So very premium ingredients at this shop. And that's why locals love it. These are like thinner noodles. We got some seaweed, some Iberian pork, egg. And then here, we have chopsticks. And we're gonna have this guy come through. It's such a tight spot. How it is. And yeah, so here we go. Look at this. Oh my god. That's Iberian pork right there? Wow, look at that, guys. It's all ramen. Oh my god. It's like heaven. The smell. You can smell the oyster in there. Mmm. Try this. Mmm. Oh man. The mix between the oyster and the soy. Oh, delicious. And the ramen, the noodles. They're thinner than the last place, but they're still very thick. It's a massive, massive ramen bowl. Mmm. Takes some time to eat, but so well worth it. Mmm. That delicious Iberian pork, man. Top notch. Like, really top. Oh, just like. And the crazy thing is that here, this is like, this is how people do it. They just slurp the whole thing. That's too much. And what's this, another egg? Yeah. Mmm. This runny middle. Oh, it's super runny. Mmm. Like that. It's straight. Another amazing bowl. I can't even believe I'm eating all this, but it's so worth it. Mmm. The funny thing is they give you this ginormous spoon. Look at this spoon, guys. It's as big as, like, how big is this thing? It's giant. I've never seen a spoon this big. And this is to bring up all the broth? Mmm. Yeah, this is not so creamy like the last place. This is more like a broth-y soup. Mmm. Lots of flavor in here. You can taste the oyster. Mmm. I like the oyster base. That's like oyster oil, right? Yeah. I think that's oyster oil. Mmm. And if you want, you can actually just go like this and, like, pick this whole thing up. For a massive appetite. Oh, my God. I'm filling up pretty fast. I'm going to hold off for a sec. Your turn. All right. So, what's yours? So, this one is shio, or salt base. So, it's a little bit lighter, more springy. They probably use more vegetables to give it that lighter kind of taste. And it's still got the oysters and the soybeans that they blend into the broth on top of that salt base. And the Iberian pork is still on top there. Very aromatic. Really, really nice light bowl. But there's a fair amount of richness, too, from animal fat. So, it's dynamic. It's complex. And, damn, it's delicious. So, what I like to do before any bowl is just have a little bit of that soup. Okay. So, I'm literally… Sometimes there's oil at the top. So, what you want to do is kind of, you know, dig past that, get there, and then just try the soup. That oyster accent. Yeah. The oyster is like… It's in there. It's pungent. It's so good. Ramen soup is, like, so good by itself. Like, of course, I love the noodles, you know. But it's almost like you could just be drinking the soup because the soup is so good. The soup by itself is amazing. Koedo. Shiro. And I have the het and bison, and you have the pils. I have the pils, yeah. It's a little bit more pilsner-y, I think, this one. Craft beer in Japan. Let's open them up. Nice. Kanpai. As they say in Japan, kanpai. Kanpai. Oh, that's good. Really nice. Craft beer is becoming bigger here. Yeah? Starting up? I gotta say, craft beer and ramen is what a combination. Like, it's like a fantastic combination. I love it. Oh my god. Look at these noodles, man. It's just like… I'm just in awe with this. How good is that Iberian pork, though, man? So nice and fatty. I love Iberian pork. It's the best pork in the world. That is true. Gochisosama. Beautiful. Thank you. Dude, she's so nice. She's so nice. So we're going to Ikebukuro next, and this place, I think, is a good final ramen shop for our little tour today, because it is really fusion ramen at its best. They do an Indian-style ramen. It sounds kind of gimmicky at first, but that is not the case, because they properly use Indian spices, you know, there's cumin in one of the ramen dishes. They even use cinnamon and clove. So they're not messing around, and they make a very, very good ramen that's not too heavy, but it's kind of like fusing Indian cuisine with Japanese cuisine in a perfectly harmonious coming together. So, yeah, let's find out what it's all about. From Shinjuku San Shomen Station to Ikebukuro Station. Shinjuku is a big hub, but so is Ikebukuro. Both are pretty lively areas, and both have amazing, amazing ramen. So on this tour, we're going to three different areas. And this is actually where I'm staying, so I'll have to come back here later. But I love how organized the metro system, the subway system is here. It's a little complex, because this is literally a city underground. It's complex for locals, too, you know? Oh, sure. Even for me, if I'm in Shinjuku Station, it's hard to figure out, you know, which exit do I need to go through. I mean, there's a billion exits. Okay, so we made it here to our third destination. But before we go in to have some more ramen, I'm very tired. So I'm going to get a quick coffee. I'm going to get a cold coffee, which is this one right here, Double Impact. And I want to tell you a little bit about the vending machines in Tokyo. Basically, there's over 2.4 million drink vending machines. And the way it works, very easy, right? So you just choose your coffee, right? So that's the one I want, 90. Get yourself this, 100. We got the Boss Coffee, a little cold iced coffee. It's not ice, it's just a cold coffee. Wow, that is strong, dude. It's like a triple espresso right here. Here in Japan, a lot of people start their day with this. They come to a vending machine, they get a coffee, and they go to work. Construction worker, a CEO, it doesn't really matter. They come, they get a quick iced coffee. Wow, dude, let's go have some ramen. Let's do it. Yeah, this is Fusion Ramen at its best. Literally the colliding of Japanese cuisine and Indian cuisine. Now, it sounds a little strange, but this place, actually, they take their ramen and their Indian cuisine very seriously. And they have researched, they tried a lot of different things until they came up with what would be, in my opinion, the perfect blending of, again, Indian cuisine and ramen together. It is an Indian ramen, if you will, with proper Indian spices and an amazing, amazing mesh of flavors. So, yeah, it's fantastic. It's fantastic ramen. Okay, here we go. Fusion Ramen. Indian, Japanese ramen. This is so beautiful. I don't even know what's in here. I got some sprouts. I got some pork. I got a super dense, spicy broth. Wow, dude. There's a lot going on in there. There's, like, too much going on in here. Well, they use, like, garlic. They got, what's it called, too? Kashmiri chili. Kashmiri chili? Yes. Oh, wow. And they're giving that extra spice. And those bean sprouts, you know, they stir-fried them. So, got a little bit of a smoky flavor there, too. Oh, my God. Look at that. Yeah. Oh, wow. The best of both worlds. Here we go. The last bowl. Oh, my God. I think this is going to be the winner right here. This will be the epic. Ready? Let's do it. Oh, wow. This is so spicy. It's good, though, right? A lot going on there. Oh, my God. So many spices in here. I need some of that pork, though. Wow. The broth is actually, it almost tastes like a curry, like a straight curry. But it's nice because it's, like, not too, you know, I feel like it matches the noodles well. Oh, wow. There's, like, peppers, a few different spices. They got, you know, garlic in there, too, mustard seeds. I taste the mustard, right? Yeah. It's a little bit more. It's really potent. I mean, on a scale of 1 to 10, this is probably, like, an 8 in terms of spice. Like, it's not, like, the most spicy. But they're definitely making you numb. You're going to feel it later. This is, like, straight-up Japanese-Indian combination. These noodles are actually thinner than the rest. And the sprouts, we haven't had sprouts in any of the ramens. It's getting hot. Where's the water at? The crescendo. The spice crescendo. We were not expecting this additional bowl. But I will reach down inside, ask the ramen gods to help me with this one. I will take it upon myself to eat this. Now, this one is a little bit different. It's kind of like a butter chicken, I think, in terms of flavor. Because they're using things like cardamom. They've also got cloves and cinnamon. So it's a little bit sweeter. All right, so I'm going to also call the ramen gods and ask them if they can help me with an extra stomach so I can ingest this. Okay, so I really want to try it because it's butter chicken. Butter chicken is one of my favorite dishes in India. It's so commercial now in the Western world, but it's still super delicious. And, dude, this is, like, a super creamy ramen. Look at that. Whoa. Super creamy. Extremely hot still. You just cooked it. Mmm. And I love how they make the sprouts, like, very, like, charred. Like you said, like, cooked really well. I didn't get any of the pork. But, guys, I'm, like, calling it a day. That is a lot of food. Definitely check out 5AM Ramen and follow him right now. I'm exploding. But that was such an epic ramen tour. I got to thank you so much. Thanks for coming out. Hey, that was the best, like, intro to ramen in Tokyo. I had three amazing bowls. They were all massive. But, yeah, man, it was just an awesome tour. And, yeah, if you're ever coming to Tokyo, definitely look up 5AM Ramen. He's on Instagram. He has a blog. And he runs food tours, ramen food tours here in Tokyo. So definitely look him up. And, yeah, dude, thank you so much. No, thanks for having me. Awesome time. You did a great job. We ate a lot of ramen. I know, dude. Very good job. I'm a champion now. You are. You were a ramen champion for the day, no doubt. I got a medal somewhere in here to give you. I got to say, I'm super happy you can drink in public, dude. Yes. Japan is a fantastic place. Well, guys, I hope you loved this video. If you did, please give me a thumbs up. Leave me a comment below. Follow him on Instagram. Yes, please. And subscribe to my channel. I'll see you on the next food and travel adventure in Nippon. Nippon is Japan in Japanese. Bye.