About food in Japan

Itarian Ramen?! Due Italian, Tokyo

Can we imagine Ramen “in Italian style”?

No… we can’t but “Due Italian” has made it!!

The chef has 25-year career as an Italian chef and he bravely developed Italian version ramen. Now Due Italian became the first Ramen restaurant featured on Michelin Guide Tokyo 2015―RESTAURANTS & HOTELS with Bib Gourmand mark.

 

Let’s see what it is like first.

We can find around 5 types of Ramen on the menu.

Apart from basic “Salt” and “Soy sauce” flavor, most of them are what we can rarely find in other restaurants, such as cold tomato, fromage(cheese), milk, lemon?! and fruits vinegar(persimmon) dipping noodle.

 

All are very interesting but I tried the most popular one “Fromage”(cheese).

 

A few chunks of cheese in the soup. Two different types of cheese is used.

 

Wheat made in Hokkaido is selected for the noodle ingredient, as it seems to be the best match with the melted cheese. The chef made his best effort to make it the best Italian Ramen by considering the best fit ingredient, thickness of noodle and soup(clear chicken stock) for the main actor, cheese topping. Apart from shredded leek, no other topping is on the noodle.

Cheese demonstrates great presence actually.

As the time goes, cheese is melted and well mixed with the soup. It offers us another texture and flavor of cheese soup.

 

It’s a bit different from ordinary ramen but still it is good.

I would like to try other Italian ramen flavor next time!!

Due Italian has two units in Tokyo as below.

The 2^nd unit in Shiodome(Shimbashi), whose exterior looks like the photo, opens only for lunch time.

For both units, it opens as long as the soup stock is available. It will close when the soup is run out. So it must be better to visit it for lunch time but out of peak time(12-13h) when it is likely to have a queue.

 

 

 

Restaurant name: Due Italian

Official website(Japanese only): http://www.dueitalian.jp/

*Ichigaya unit (near Yasukuni Shrine)

Add: 4-5-11 Fuji Bld. Kudan-Minami, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

 

 

*Shiodome unit(near Shimbashi station)

Add: 2-9-6 SAN bld, Higashi Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Kirishima, Chanko (Sumo wrestler's hotpot) restaurant in Ryogoku, the holy place of Sumo

We guess many of you know Sumo (相撲), the Japanese traditional martial sports.
Obviously from their physical attribute, "FOOD" is an essential element for sumo wrestlers.
What they take everyday make their big and strong body.

The last time we wrote about Chako-nabe was, oh!, 7years ago!

Here we spoke what it is, reporting another restaurant for Chanko-nabe.
http://aboutfoodinjapan.weblogs.jp/blog/2008/02/chanko-nabe-sum.html

 

Today's our recommendable restaurant "Kirishima" is known for its specialty Chanko-nabe, as the restaurant is run by one of Sumo stablemasters, Kirishima(霧島).

But to be honest ... , when we visited the restaurant, actually we did not take Chanko-nabe, as it was too big volume for us, ladies.
So we leave about Chanko-nabe on our last post. Still it is a recommendable menu as long as you have enough space in your stomach.

Well, anyway, we introduce "Kirishima" the restaurant run by a former famous sumo wrestler.
It is located a stone throw distance from JR Ryogoku station as well as "Kokugi-kan"(国技館, Sumo Arena).
Yes! The restaurant is in Ryogoku, the holy place of Sumo.

The restaurant has eight floors from underground to 8th floors with over 300 seats. During the time of national Sumo tournament, on evening the restaurant could be filled with some groups of Sumo fans who are likely to be excited after matches.
On the walls, we can find many objects showing the glory days of the master Kirishima as one of top wrestlers.

 

 

 

 

As for the menu, in addition to the specialty Chanko-nabe(Sumo wrestler's hotpot), we can find Japanese dishes like good quality of Izakaya menu from Sashimi (raw fish) to croquette.

 
Some are those loved by Sumo wrestlers (probably) and others are food from the master's hometown, Kyushu region.
Even a few dishes as starter could make your stomach almost full. So be careful, if you want to have also Chanko-nabe.

Here are some examples of side dishes.

Satsuma-age (fried fish cakes, local specialty from Kagoshima, Kyushu)

Fried chicken also from Kyushu

and  a fish tank behind...

 

Sumo wrestlers are likely to love oily fried meat dishes...

That's we can find here mainly. It's good some times.

"Sumo"croquette - what we can find only at this restaurant!
The look is from Sumo ground. Very large size as a croquette.

 

To be good for French speakers, the restaurant has official website in French, while English version is on construction.

 

Restaurant name: Chanko Kirishima

Address: 2-13-7 Ryogoku, Sumida-ku, Tokyo

Official homepage(in Japanese): http://l-fujimori.perso.sfr.fr/Chanko-Ryogoku-jp.html

(in French!!) http://l-fujimori.perso.sfr.fr/Chanko-Ryogoku-fr.html

Information in English on Gurunavi: https://gurunavi.com/en/e625300/ph/all/rst/