Among the many shops serving ramen in Meguro, Kaduya (かづ屋) – pronounced Kazuya, is a champion. Their old-school approach and refined ingredients make for exquisitely delicious ramen.
Ramen in Meguro – My Top Choice
In their signature dumpling ramen, the dumplings are carefully made by hand on a daily basis. You can see this happening towards the front of the shop. The boiled dumplings are…to die for.
The broth itself a light shoyu seasoning with pork bones, chicken bones, sababushi (mackerel flakes), Ma konbu (kelp) and niboshi (dried sardines) from the Seto Inland Sea. He chose these niboshi since they have a softer flavor (vs niboshi Pacific Ocean niboshi).
The noodles are also made daily and in-house. They’re soft and slippery and act like a sponge, allowing you to fully taste the delicate broth.
They even use a “hirazaru” to remove excess water from the noodles. Most ramen shops now use the more modern and oval-shaped “tebo”. A hirazaru is completely flat.
It takes great skill to balance and strain the noodles on top of this flat surface. Check out Kazuie-san masterfully use the hirazaru in the below video.
Terrific Tsukemen and Tantanmen
Their tsukemen (or “tsukesoba” as they call it), is a more concentrated shoyu and has a stronger taste of ginger. It’s great if you also want a bigger helping of noodles too.
Their tantanmen hits home too. Creamy Chinese sesame paste meets homemade raiyu chili oil and bright green cilantro.
For either the shoyu ramen or tsukemen, try the dried onions as a condiment. They make the broth sweeter and provide a fun crunch alongside the soft noodles.
Filming with TabiEats
Among shops serving ramen in Meguro, Kaduya (or Kazuya) stands tall. Their ramen is not easily forgettable and one of my favorites in Tokyo.