Misokko Hook / 味噌っ子ふっく - Ogikubo

Misokko Hook (味噌っ子ふっく) has been making waves in the Tokyo ramen scene with their Tokyo miso ramen since 2018. Some ramen heads even go so far and call it the best miso ramen in Tokyo, which is reflected by the shops high rankings in all kinds of ramen rakings and ramen magazines. There is no doubt that Misokko Hook is serving at least one of the best Tokyo style miso ramen.

Tokyo miso ramen is a less well known version of the more legendary Sapporo miso ramen. Looking at the rendition of the Tokyo miso ramen of Hook, we can see a more emulsified and rich soup, with an overall more mellow flavor profile compared to Sapporo miso ramen. There is also no lard fat cap on top of the ramen bowl and the noodles are not curly and somewhat thicker.

The soup is made with a mix of pork and chicken, notably missing any seafood elements. But the mix of miso makes more than up for it in terms of complexity and aroma. There is also a good amount of ginger and garlic in the soup, which brings some zing to the table.

The real kicker is the spicy rayu oil that is added, if you get the spicy karamiso version. I really liked the way they add it, so it gives the bowl an almost ying and yang kind of appearance, with half of the bowl not covered by the oil. This also gives you a chance to try the regular soup, before you mix in the rayu. While it’s not really up there in terms of spiciness, it adds a ton of kick and depth to the bowl, which kicks everything into overdrive.

The noodles are pretty substantial and thick, with a nice bite to them. Due to them being on the quite hefty side, they pair well with the really rich and thick miso ramen soup. The noodles are not made inhouse, but supplied by Mikawaya Seimen, who also supply many other great ramen shops in and around Tokyo.