Tsurumen, Davis Sq., Somerville, MA

In general, absolutely. However Santouka has a very cute and effective solution for young children dining with their parents. The kids ket a mini setup of a bowl, cup, spoon, chopsticks, etc. and so the adult can share their ramen.

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you’re correct that was what was there right before. But there used to be an old school Italian bakery on this block when I lived in Somerville over ten years ago. I think it was this particular spot, but I could be wrong.

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snappy ramen replaced la contessa, the ‘slightly dingy, classic italian bakery,’ which made an elegant pizza chiena for easter, and outstanding cannolis all the time.

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thank you! I could not remember the name of that place. They had decent Italian cookies as well.

Ah, yes. I did in fact live here then, but apparently my memory only goes back to the Snappy era. I always wondered why Davis didn’t have a bakery. The Caramel “Macarons & Patisseries” does not fill that void for me. Actually, I can’t even go in there in protest of their pluralization of the word for pastry shop.

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Assuming this was for dinner? At first read I wondered if Tsurumen had expanded their lunch hours beyond Fri-Sun. I wish they would!

no, they apparently opened at noon on Monday-Tuesday just to serve this. Tsurumen does this right on their Instagram, they announced it the day before there but I missed it. Not totally sure they would have still had it at 5 when I got to Davis though.

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thanks for the tip. Insta feed added.

Today Tsurumen said on their Instagram that they’d be serving 20 bowls of duck tsukemen from open, so I figured I’d walk up there for a bowl. I sat at the counter, which was perfect. This place has a good simple atmosphere, and I really like it–I can’t figure the Georgia O’Keefe print in the bathroom out, but otherwise it’s got a proper ramen joint feel.

The tsukemen was amazing–the cool noodles had a great bite to them and the broth itself was dark, dense in flavor and fatty but as usual not at all greasy. The pieces of duck that were served with it were tender and the onsen egg add in was cooked a bit more than the last time I was here, but still good and not overdone.

I’m a big fan of this place. I think the chef really cares, and it shows.

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When in town, I’ve been visiting Tsurumen on an almost weekly basis since they instituted their new lunch “power hour” from 12-1p Mon-Thu. I have to say that this has become my favorite ramen place around. In general the dishes are all delicious but not so heavy that I can’t be productive in the afternoon after eating. The portions are satisfying without being belly busting.

Both of their standard ramen offerings are very good. I slightly prefer the complexity of the paitan. The specials are really, well…special. The pork maze soba is so rich and garlicky, it’s an incredibly satisfying dish. The flavor really explodes in your mouth without overwhelming the palate. Last week was my first experience with the dote soba which I look forward to trying again. The beef is wonderfully tender and the konnyaku root and starch cake were new for me. The chef’s use of garlic is very much in agreement with my love of it. The non broth soba offerings can be just the thing when you don’t want a lot of broth sloshing around in your tummy. Another beautiful special a few weeks back was the wild mushroom tsukemen, the flavor was earthy, savory and everything that is good about mushrooms. I look forward to trying whatever special is next on the horizon.

I don’t know what the arrangement is with Snappy, but chef Onishi appears to have full control of Tsurumen, it’s menu and operation. He keeps it simple and focuses on perfecting his craft. His love of the food shows in the end product. It’s also to see the place run in a non corporate way. One day I got there a bit before it opened, but chef and his staff were ready and beckoned me inside. I hope more people support their lunch hour so they might expand it a bit further.

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Thanks for the posting. I had no idea that they now are doing lunch during the week.

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yeah, I love this place. Haven’t gone lately since I’ve been hitting up Yume Ga Arukara for udon a few times before I leave that part of town, but once I start going back through Davis in my way home it’ll be back in the rotation. And the specials are great–I hope they do the sobas again soon so I can check that out.

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Between you and uni, you have, like, the best two lives.

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interesting update on their Insta today. it says “every 200 days the menu changes to reflect a different ramen during the chef’s life”. their 200th day celebration is Sunday. curious to see what things change to next week!

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I decided to brave the weather today to go down to Davis and celebrate the 200th day of my favorite local ramen joint. Got there ten minutes early and waited in line with plenty of other aficionados, getting pelted with sleet the whole time. The chef came out before anyone got let in and thanked us for coming and talked a little about how this was the last day they’d be serving the two kinds of bowls they’d had since the opening, but that it’d be the best bowls of all.

I got the spicy paitan, since that’s the one I really like most and luckily snagged a seat at the counter. It was as good as ever–great noodles, crunchy red onion/burdock, unbelievably tender pork and a balanced, beautiful broth. The onsen egg as always was ideal, just set and soft as can be. I’ll miss this meal, a lot.

The atmosphere was so nice–lots of fans happily getting ramen, free stickers for the first fifty customers and cool commemorative t-shirts for sale, people photographing and filming and the happy chef and staff effusively appreciative of everyone who came out. There were more dedicated folks still standing in line outside when I left, sleet be damned, waiting for their last shot at the paitan or 1985 style since after today it’s on to something else.

What that is they wouldn’t tell me. The chef is going back to Japan for a bit, and when they open back up in February whatever the new thing is will be there for the eating. I can’t wait to see what it is.

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This post made me ridiculously happy. Thank you!!!

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Thanks for the recap. I was out of town and disappointed not to be able visit them on Sunday. I can’t wait for the relaunch in Feb however and looking forward to see what the chef offers next. I absolutely love the approach of this place, it is completely different from anything else in our area and the type of non formulaic place we need more of. Tsurumen is pure driven by the love of exploring food.

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I was disheartened to stop into Tsurumen shortly after noon today and find I was the only customer. No one else came in until I was nearly finished with my bowl. What gives people? If we can’t support a place like this, then maybe we really don’t deserve nice things around here.

I have been out of town a lot, but have still managed to visit several times since their relaunch for the 2nd 100 days (really just new ramen offerings, with the old formulas retired for now). I tried the spicy miso paitanramen today, which was as delicious and nuanced as their previous offerings. Tsurumen now has their own noodle machine and they said they are dialing in their recipe(s). The slightly al dente noodles today were perfect for my taste. Last week they had tsukemen special (dipping noodles) when I was in. This was truly a treat and I will be keeping a hopeful eye out in the future.

Now, get in there and support this place. I need my lunch hours!

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I was one of those deadbeats you saw passing by and not eating there. If that does not pin me down, I was the one gesticulating wildly to a young woman.

I have lunch with my daughter on Friday, and I’ve been trying to bully her into going in. She loves ramen but is sadly weight-conscious at the moment. Santouka works for her because you can order a smaller size, but she has been balking at Tsurumen. Perhaps I’ll give her a dry biscuit to eat one day, and walk in alone. Your review is certainly inviting. Thanks.

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If it would help, I’ll eat half her noodles…

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