OverviewStyle: Spicy tsukemen and ramen.
Overall rating:
Location: Hiroshima (origin), Tokyo, and Taiwan(!)
Hiroshima and a nearby breath-taking island called Miyajima are not to be missed. Hiroshima is the site where the Americans dropped the A-bomb back in WW II. Today it is an interesting historical site where almost all the constructions that the eyes can see are new and built after the devastating destruction, except for one government building which you can still see remnants of it. There is a museum complex dedicated to documenting the terrible effects of war and nuclear bombs on humanity, which is a must visit. How nuclear and radiation create genetic disorders looks scary enough in the movies, but when you can see what actually happened in real lives, those movies are not even half as terrifying. The museum is called the peace museum, for an obvious reason, because I'm sure anyone with some heart would not be able to drop any more nuclear bombs on our planet if you have seen what has happened.
Other than that, Hiroshima and Miyajima will be a pleasant to visit. It's famous for foliage leaves in autumn. Miyajima is also famous for its floating red tori-gate and the floating temple, where you can walk to the tori-gate when the tide is down. Around the area there are many deers walking around. You can rent a bike to ride around the island. The must-try cuisine in miyajima is the oyster, on top of the ramen of course :)
The Signature Bowl
Something you've got to try is, no doubt, this authentic Hiroshima-style spicy tsukemen. The noodles are hand-pulled made fresh everyday, and served cold. They come in a plate topped with generous portion of boiled cabbage, cucumber, sliced spring onion, and sea weed, and two thick pieces of lean chachu pork (it's not quite fatty as the normal chachu). You can choose the four different portions of noodles, which is perfect for someone who perfers not to eat lots of carbs like me. Do not miss to add the hard-boiled egg topping. The broth is made with the store's secret chilli paste, and you can choose the level of spiciness. Here are the levels on the menu and it was quite funny I'm gonna have to translate it for you guys.
0 : Even babies can handle it1 : For people who can usually handle a bit of spice
2 : Where do we go from here!!??
3 - 5 : For people who likes it spicy
6 - 10 : Sweat sweat sweat! falling from your face
11 - 15: I can see fire coming out of your mouth! (this is my level)
16 -20 : WAGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!
The way I like to take it is to dip every single bite into the broth before eating it (egg, vegetables, noodles, pork, everything). When you soaked it in the broth, everything just tastes about a million times better. I also put in extra sesame into the spicy broth, or dipped the noodle in to the spicy broth then sprinkle the sesame over before putting everything into my mouth. The soft noodles soaked in the spicy soup, covered with sesame, really give a good blend of the spice and the extra texture and smell of sesame seeds.
What else is on the menu
I usually order a set lunch of spicy tsukemen with either Onigiri (rice ball wrapped in seaweed), Karaage (Crispy fried chicken), or Gyoza. The fried chicken is very well done here, with only breast meat, no bones, and the fried batter is just about right to give that crispy crunchy feel without being too oily. It came with a pepper-salt dip, but I bypass it and dip the fried chicken into the spicy broth instead, hmmmm!!! I also like the nigiri here, because they use the Korean sylte seaweed for the wrap. It is very crispy and has a fragrant smell of sesame oil. They also have tsekusoba, a few other types of tsukemen, and ramen, which is also a good alternative if you like it hot rather than cold. Available toppings are eggs (3 different boiled levels), bean sprouts, extra vegetables or chachu pork, and seaweed. For dessert, they have almond tofu, which sweet almond taste and soft creamy texture to calm you down after all the spices.Price range
750 - 1000 yen, depending on noodle portion. Side dishes are about 400-500 yen (gyoza, karaage). Toppings 100-300 yen each. Set lunch is a good deal where you can add gyoza or karaage, and onigiri for only 200 yen.
Atmosphere
The shop has mostly counter seats with some tables, but the moment you walk in, there will be something that will definitely catch your eyes. It's the wallpaper made from wishboard! Now you may ask, what the hell is wishboard? Can I eat it? (No...). If you have been to temples in Japan, I'm sure you have seen the big bulletin board where people hang a smaller wooden board with their written wishs on it. It is always fun to read them and look for people you may know (I have successfully and coiincidentally found a board written by my friends in English from the states!). Here at Bakudanya, it's pretty much the same concept, although people pretty much draw or write whatever they want on it, not necessarily wishes. At your table, you will see a few empty wooden boards with color markers, and from here, only your imagination is the limit. They also play contemporary Japanese karaoke songs, which remind me of countless crazy karaoke allnighters with my friends.Ratings
Noodle: 9.0/10.0.
I like the texture overall. They also have a thin soba type noodle if you don't like the hoso-men type.
Soup: 10.0/10.0.
I applaud the secret chilli paste with the sesame, they compliment the taste real well.
Toppings: 10.0/10.0.
Good variety, and they all taste pretty good.
Side dishes: 10.0/10.0.
The taste of the side dishes is just perfect, with good variety to choose from. The fried chicken is really crispy and it goes so well with the spicy dipping.
Condiments: 9.0/10.0.
They have all the right condiments here (shoyu, vinegar, chilli oil) and of course the all you can sprinkle sesame seeds, love it!
Atmosphere: 8.0/10.0.
The usual small place, but I love the fun idea of the wishboard (it keeps you busy when you're waiting for your food).
Service and staff: 9.0/10.0.
It's clean and quick, though there isn't anything I feel exceptionally impressed with.
Menu variety: 8.5/10.0.
The variety of the side dishes is superb, but the noodle menu itself has only about 3 or 4 choices on it. Extra points for the flexibility of the spicy level.
Location: 9.0/10.0.
Only 3 stores in the west of Tokyo, but they do have about 11 stores in Hirosima and also taiwan.
Value for money: 9.0/10.0.
The set lunch is a really good deal, but only two pieces of chachu will not satisfy meat eaters.
Overall Rating
9.2/10.0
Location and Access
Nishi-shinjuku store:
Address 7-7-27 1F Nishi-shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Access 10min walk from JR Shinjuku station
Phone 03-5338-7569
Store hour 11:00 - 23:00
Hiroshima store:
Address Miyauchi Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima Prefecture, 4489-1
Phone 0829-38-4251
Store hour 11:30 - 24:00
This branch is closed.
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