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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today was Day 400 for the Boston area place that I like to eat ramen at the most, so I went down for the celebration and a last bowl of the Formula 1995. The scene was much like Day 200 (without the sleet)–t-shirts, stickers and a line of fans coming in for delicious bowls of soup. Chef came out and gave his little spiel on the opening, talking about how he challenges himself to make a different ramen every two hundred days, and that it’s difficult to do so.
Then it was onto the food, which is every bit as good as ever. I do very much like the wontons in the 1995, and so it was a little sad to see them go–but the fact that they’re so good and yet now gone is a good part of why I love this restaurant so much. The chef has a perfectly good product here and could just ride it, but chooses not to do so. After today the wontons are just a memory, and we won’t know what he’s come up with to replace it until they re-open in the near future.
Going on these last days is really fun, too. It’s festive and friendly and it really somehow feels a million miles away from the cold hard realities of the food business. Tsurumen is a really unique place and I’d pretty much rather eat here than in almost any place in town.
LLP
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Nicely said and I could not agree more on all fronts. I am addicted to Tsurumen and the thought of only 600 more days of it causes me some distress.
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The chashu at Tsurumen is so tender, delicious and balanced. It makes it hard sometimes to eat the overly fatty chashu at other ramen places.
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there was one (and only one) time that I went and the chasu was chewy and I was really shocked.
are they doing the new ramen thing yet? I haven’t gone since the re-open and I haven’t noticed them say anything about it on their Instagram. They mentioned working on ideas awhile back, but I didn’t see them announce it.
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I think they are still refining the official new formula. However they have been offering a special miso ramen in limited quantities each day. I had the spicy miso and it was fantastic.
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ah, cool. thanks for the info, I’ll check that out.
Did I miss something up-thread? Do they vanish in a puff of miso-infused smoke at the 1000 day mark?
more or less. the chef has said that the place will only be open for 1000 days of service and then it’s done.
If this is the same as the winter spicy miso I had yesterday, this was super delicious! I had been meaning to give this place a try and finally made it there last night. I actually like the spartan decor, and the pay up front and then self-service reminds me of some of those ‘buy a ticket’ ramen joins in Japan. This is not the fancy Alinea, buy a ticket for your seating, but you literally order via what looks like a vending machine booth that dispenses the ticket that confirms what you ordered and paid for.
The noodles were really good (and not really that spicy for those who may be worried) and the egg was just about perfect.
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heh, yeah I’m not surprised. Sounds much akin to the “spicy” udon at Yume Ga Arukara, which is definitively Japanese spicy which really means not that spicy at all.
PSA. Today is the last day for the special winter miso offerings. If anyone has been meaning to try them, dinner this evening is likely your last shot.
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they’ve started up the clock again at Tsurumen after pausing it for the last few months. it’s now day 456/1000!
they’re making hiyashi chuka (chilled ramen) for the summer. need to check that out.
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FYI: Tsurumen is now offering pickup kits of their Paitan & Formula 1985 ramen and curry Tsukumen for making at home. I’m totally going to do this, I really really miss going to this spot. Available thru their website.
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I’m so glad they have managed to stay afloat - so far anyway.
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Me too. Near as I can tell from afar, they’re doing OK. They seem pretty resilient in general. I feel bad for having not supported them for a long time!
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