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Menkui Wanderer（麺喰ワンダラー）

Column 2025.08.05 THE Gyoro / Ramen Futoru / Kumako / Fukumori

01 “THE Gyoro(THE魚郎)” (Ikebukuro Sta.)

The Ikebukuro branch of Gyoro is a little far from Ikebukuro Station, but its underground connection to the underground shopping mall makes it a great way to beat the heat. Gyoro is part of the Setagaya group, serving heavy & hearty ramen. There are four locations in total: two in Osaka and one in Noda(Chiba Pref.). Their summer-only chilled ramen will be available starting July 20th. (Chilled Gyoro is Ikebukuro branch limited.)
Gyoro serves heavy & hearty ramen, but because it’s part of the Setagaya group, their soup is different from other Jiro-inspired ramen. It’s flavored with seafood, including dried sardines and bonito broth. While it’s hearty and filling, it’s surprisingly refreshing. Based on this “Gyoro,” they’ve created the summer-only “Chilled Gyoro.” “Chilled Gyoro” (1,000 yen) is packed with plenty of soup. When ordering chilled ramen, you have to be careful about the oil, as it will solidify. Here, they use a vegetable-based dried sardine oil, which prevents the ramen from solidifying and adds richness. The toppings are a large piece of chashu, back fat-like tempura flakes (which are quite effective, seasoned and with garlic), bonito flakes, shiso leaves, and bean sprouts. As expected, they offer a unique style. This was a truly excellent bowl. The free toppings are vegetables and garlic, and this time I only went for the vegetables. The noodle portion is 225g. They plan to offer it until around mid-September.

“Ramen Futoru(ラーメン太る)” (Ikebukuro Sta.)

A hearty ramen brand launched in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, in October 2023. What an impactful name(※meaning is “Get fat”). I’ve proven that I don’t gain weight “that much” even after eating 700 bowls a year for 30 years, but this shop name seems to rebel against me (lol).
The Hikifune shop opened last year, and the Ikebukuro shop opened in March this year, making this the third shop. The top choice on the ticket machine is soupless ramen, followed by ramen. Noodle amounts of small (200g), medium (300g), and large (400g) are the same price. Extra vegetables(野菜マシYasai Mashi), extra extra vegetables(野菜マシマシ Yasai Mashi-mashi), extra back fat(背脂マシSeabura Mashi), and extra extra back fat(背脂マシマシ Seabura Mashi-mashi) are all free and can be purchased from the ticket machine. When the bowl is served, you’re asked, “Would you like Gari-mayo(garlic mayonnaise)?” so I asked “yes please”, this time. The free topping is extra vegetables. Later, when I looked at the person next to me, I regretted not ordering extra back fat as well. The color was so appetizing.
From July, they’ve started offering “Yuzu Hiyashi Chuka(Chilled ramen with Yuzu citrus)” as a summer limited menu item. A type of chilled Chinese noodle dish flavored with yuzu and pickled garlic mayonnaise. The vegetables are eaten like a salad, but the flat, hearty noodles pack a punch. I dipped them in the mayonnaise-like sauce. The chashu pork slices were quite large, so it was quite a challenge. I finally finished it while sipping water.

03 “Kumako(熊公)” (Asakusabashi Sta.)

This is a long-established shop founded 57 years ago. Apparently it used to be a Sapporo ramen shop, but recently it’s become a popular “Jajiangmen(ジャージャー麺)”(…Soupless noodles with a sweet and spicy meat miso) spot. Despite its modest exterior, it’s surprisingly popular. They even make a lot of Jajiangmen for takeout, so customers often have to wait (lol). Located on the border between Chiyoda, Taito, and Chuo Wards, the shop sees a steady stream of customers from the neighborhood. I was surprised when I looked at the menu. They had a wide selection of cold noodles. I wondered if they were a “cold noodle specialty shop,” but they also had a regular ramen menu, and most customers were ordering “cold noodles.” About 90% of the customers were Jajiangmen. It seemed like they only served cold dishes this time of year.
I ordered a half-curry and Jajiangmen set. The set is an extra 100 yen. It comes with a half-cup curry and coffee jelly, which is a fantastic deal. The curry is spicy and delicious. The Jajiangmen noodles are as expected, but the Jajiangmen miso is quite addictive.

04.”Chukasoba Fukumori(中華そば ふくもり 駒沢本店)” (Komazawa-daigaku Sta.)

Across the street from Setagaya, a niboshi ramen specialty shop that opened in 2006, now offers a wide variety of dishes. Their summer specials include “Spicy Niboshi Hiyashi Chuka” (Cold Spicy Chinese Noodles) and “Ogikubo Mukashi Tsukesoba.(Ogikubo ramen in those days)” I chose the latter this time. Inspired by Ogikubo Marucho(丸長). Since “Marucho” (Ogikubo) closed, many shops have started offering inspired tsukemen, including “Kifu(喜富)” (Otsuka), “Dekigokoro(でき心)” (Kichijoji), and “Ryoga(りょうが)” (Ogikubo). I’ve tried them all, and each one is different, which is also fun. This is my favorite type of tsukemen.

Shop Information

01.THE Gyorou(THE魚郎) Official Information
1F Metro City Nishi-Ikebukuro, 5-1-3 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-0021

02.Ramen Futoru(ラーメン太る) Official Information
1F, Ikebukuro MT Building, 2-48-3 Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-0014

03.Kumako(熊公) Official Information
2-5-11 Bakurocho, Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0002

04.Fukumori Chinese Noodles, Komazawa Main Branch(中華そば ふくもり 駒沢本店)
Official Information
4-9-18 Nozawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 154-0003

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