Boku no Miso Ramen / ぼくのみそらーめん - Takasaka

Boku no Miso Ramen (ぼくのみそらーめん) is the winner of the newcomer category of the 2023-2024 edition of the TRY "Tokyo Ramen of the Year" ramen magazine which is published once a year, always around October.

*Front of Boku no Miso Ramen, seems like you can sit outside in warmer times.*

Boku no Miso Ramen is a curious choice as it is technically not in Tokyo, but in Saitama. Although Saitama is part of the Greater Tokyo Area, usually TRY had sharp boundaries around the Tokyo metropolis. But maybe Boku no Miso Ramen convinced them to change their approach and allow nearby shops as well.

*Boku no Miso Ramen has a variety of miso ramen on their menu.*

The menu at Boku no Miso Ramen offers regular miso ramen, spicy miso ramen and miso tsukemen. All probably worth checking out, just pick your personal preference and you won’t go wrong with it. For my first bowl here, I went with their regular miso ramen.

*The vending machine at Boku no Miso Ramen has options to modify your bowl.*

There are some extras offerd on their vending machine such as adding more veggies, adding ajitama eggs, more chashu, changing the size to large, plain rice on the side or some rice topped with chashu. On the bottom right you will also find some drinks, all the way bottom right is the beer, which I recommend getting. Because, why not.

I honestly quite like the logo of Boku no Miso Ramen.

The inside of the shop is quite modern and stylish, maybe a bit unexpected for a shop in the “boonies” from the perspective of a Tokyo inhabitant.

*A glorious bowl of miso ramen. The thick soup and the big piece of chashu immediately stand out.*

The miso ramen at Boku no Miso Ramen is a good representative of the Tokyo style of heavy miso ramen. Compared to the Sapporo style of miso ramen, you will find less of a lard cap on top of the ramen.

*Thick and almost gravy-like miso ramen soup.*

On the other hand the soup is more viscous and emulsified, closing in on gravy territory. It does trade some punch and sharpness for creaminess. Which one is better, heavily depends on your personal preference.

*Noodles for miso ramen are often more substantial, but these are outstandingly chonky.*

The noodles are definitely on the thicker side for this type of miso ramen. But the chonky noodles fit very well to the rich soup and provide a good counterpart for a great balance.

*The chashu has an interesting pattern on it, either from knife cutting or deli meat slicer.*

The toppings are also part of the balancing act for the soup. A rather lean pork chashu, which should be dipped into the soup first to juice it up. Blanched sprouts and cabbage bits for crunch and freshness.

Overall, I can see that Boku no Miso Ramen might be the best miso ramen in Saitama. For miso ramen in Tokyo, I would see them in the upper miso ramen ranks, but not all the way at the top. However, they are a very strong miso ramen newcomer and deserve their time in the ramen spotlight.

You can find Boku no Miso Ramen very close to Takasaka station which is serviced by the Tobu-Tojo Line. The station is easily accessible from most main stations on Tokyo's East side, such as Ikebukuro, Shinjuku or Shibuya.