NERIMA: Ramen Dai! The first bowl of ramen for 2021... invited out by a Ramen Connoisseur friend. Hit and Miss. (Sony RX100, iPhone 7)

Nobody is going out anymore to izakaya`s due to coronavirus and the recent Emergency Declaration for the Tokyo region that restricts drinks after 7pm... so after a full meal and drinks at home I got invite out to Ramen!.... NOOOO!!!

If I`m gonna do it then its going to be the smallest ramen called Sho-Ramen 620 yen!  It is a struggle for me to finish the regular sized 720 yen... just tooooo much ramen noodles.

Pass your ramen chip to the chef and when your bowl is ready he will call on you to customize your toppings.  Volume of boiled veggies, chopped garlic, shoga (red pickled ginger), pork fat and if you want to add more flavoring to the soup. 

Now this is the difference between the smallest and largest portion of veggies... There is no way I can consume that amount of bean sprouts.   My custom order was least amount of veggies, fatty pork lard and garlic. 

Friend ordered everything except the lard. 

Soup wasn`t as thick and flavorful as Ramen Jiro but a decent shoyu flavor. 

The charsiu pork is super melty tender but just one small slice. 

My favorite... thick chewy noodles.

Scored my friends pork... nice. 

Overall if you love Jiro-kei (style) ramen then Ramen Dai is a good alternative for you.  Friend mentioned this days ramen wasn`t as good as usual so its a hit and miss.  The counter stools were separated quite a bit due to coronavirus social distancing measures. 

My previous Ramen Dai Adventures: https://tokyobelly.blogspot.com/search?q=ramen+dai

Restaurant: Ramen Dai Nerima Branch

Tabelog Foodie: https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1321/A132102/13091900/

Address J: 東京都練馬区豊玉北5-32-9 フォレストヒラキ

Address E: Tokyo, Nerima-ku, Toyotamakita 5-32-9

MAP: https://goo.gl/maps/9J2jmnCdzsjqGq2p9

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NERIMAKASUGACHO: Hama Sushi... wow this place beats Kappa and rivals industry leader Sushiro! FRESH! YUM!! (Sony Rx100)

Last year there was a Japanese restaurant located in this building but closed down... then Hama Sushi opened!  Little did I know how fresh the sushi was here!  So on the 1st weekend that Tokyo issued coronavirus emergency declaration that requests all restaurants to stop serving alcohol at 7pm and close at 8pm until February 7th I venture into Hama for some lunch....

$10 to $13 bucks an hour plus an additional 70 cents for the weekend shift.

If its your first time you will get lost in the large touch screen reservation and seating flow.  First select counter or table seating then number of diners.  You will get a print out with a reservation number... mine was 414.  Unlike Kappa Sushi where someone informs you of your table number you need to go back to the touch screen system after your number is displayed on the overhead monitor to push a few buttons that notifies you of your table number.  Due to all this automation there are very few employees around to help you out.... and of course Japanese don`t tend to help foreigners who seem a bit lost in the suburbs that is Nerimakasugacho. 

Today`s special fish sourced from Kyushu. 

Counter seating if you want but due to social distancing I chose a table.

Multilingual touch screen menu. 

Napkins, chopsticks and green tea cups up above. 

If the basic 100 yen Tuna is good then its all up hill!

100 yen maguro!  It wasn`t mushy like Kappa Sushi... not too bad. 

Came out very cold so must have been thawed within the hour. 

Free help your self tea at each table. 

One of the days special.  Southern Maguro Higher grade akami... great firm texture.

Korean Yukke seasoning maguro... so fresh. 

Multiple different kinds of Shoyu depending on what style you like.  Mostly stuck with the Kanto (Tokyo region) shoyu... English written on the side. 

Hot shrimp tempura sushi!  

Remember not to wander off if you have an order placed in the system because there is a large beeping sound that goes on every 5 seconds until the plate is picked up off the conveyer belt.  BEEPS all over the place in this restaurant... can be rather annoying. 

Fried Oysters made to order!  Topped with chilled tartar sauce... 

Wasabi and seasonings at the table. 

Of course you should get some kind of soup.  Clam Miso Soup 150 yen... Lots of clams!

Closed with flamed fatty salmon with cheese... this was kind of a strange combination.  The cheese totally reminded me of that processed stuff you find at movie theaters in the US... you know the cheese that comes with the nacho plate.  But Salmon was so buttery soft.  

My damage! 990 yen. 

My order in English

Chinese

and Japanese.

3 guys across the way ate quite alot. 

One free toy for the little ones... 

Overall other than getting lost in table reservation system this place was great.  On the weekdays sushi starts at only 90 yen vs weekends 100 yen.  Will definitely be back! 

Restaurant: Hama Sushi Nerimakasugacho Branch

Tabelog Foodie: https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1321/A132102/13244171/

Address J: 東京都練馬区春日町2-7-18

Address E: Tokyo, Nerima-ku, Kasugacho 2-7-18

MAP: https://goo.gl/maps/VHuD8fGCgqNgDQS39

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