An impromptu Standing Bar, Ramen, and a quick jaunt through Shinkjuku. How much more do you need?
Shinjuku station terrifies me. It’s the last place in Tokyo that I dread going to. Up until today, my favourite thing about this station was finding the right exit, and getting the hell out of it. Until today. Today, I discovered a gem of a place: a wine & belgian beer store. Quality.
They have a little table for standing and drinking your beer at, though since “take out OK” combined with how I was supposed to be meeting jon in a few minutes, I opted for a beer to go. I mean, what is a Standing Bar other than a place where you can stand and drink your beer in peace? So I found a safe spot in the train station, pulled out my book, and made my own. Have I mentioned how I love that drinking in public is not illegal here?
Now. I’m meeting jon at Shinjuku station. This was my idea, despite the afore mentioned fact that I utterly despise this place. What brings us here? Ramen, of course. Not just any ramen, but a sister-location of the Tastiest Gyoza in the City. Enter, Nagi.
Tonight takes us to a tucked away part of Shijuku, called Golden Gai. The streets of Golden Gai are narrow and densely packed. The bars are tiny – most only seating 4 or 5 people at a time.
Like it’s neighborhood, this Nagi is maximalist. Its very small, cramped space is made even smaller by the addition of things everywhere.
Good things, like menus and chopsticks, but it’s a bit overwhelming nonetheless. We’ll call it the Shinjuku Style.
Each Nagi location (there are four of them) does its soup slightly differently. This broth was really fishy on the nose, but I thought it tasted a lot more mellow and roasty once you got it in your mouth. Jon wasn’t really a fan of how strong the broth was. The majour downside for me was how soft the noodles were. I like em bari bari (al dente) and so this was a lot like mush in my mouth.
Great egg though. The ramen was not bad of course. I just thought the other Nagi was much better. Certainly not worth battling Shinjuku station for.
Later that evening, we wandered through the streets for a bit. Look at this old man. I wanted to put him in my pocket.
I leave you with some sage advice:
