The Holy Grail of Dipping Ramen! Best Noodles You'll Ever Taste! Chuka Soba Tomita

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hi everyone, we contemplated scrapping this vlog due to the bad audio arising from circumstances during filming but decided against it as we really wanted to share this experience with you guys & revisiting Tomita in the future likely wouldn't improve the filming circumstances. Hence do watch this video with subtitles as during the visit the speech is barely audible😂. Enjoy the video!😉 In the spirit of keeping us on our toes & improving here's how we felt about this video from a technical perspective:- It's bad...probably the worst video in recent memory, mainly due to really bad audio. When we were filming Wei Loon couldn't talk with a normal volume as the moment he speaks all the other customers stared at him. He ended up whispering which causes the ridiculously bad, barely audible audio with lots of distortion. We tried to salvage the audio & this is the best we could come up with at the moment. As the space is non existent due to the entire counter space being taken up by food we also couldn't film close ups effectively, causing a lack of footages/reuse of footages which is undesirable. Wei Loon also couldn't push the camera back far enough despite using a 16mm wide angle lens, hence his giant face every single time he had to take a bite :( Tomita also seats everyone by batch so it means you get about 30-40 minutes to eat all the food and leave because they'll need to serve the next batch. This means Wei Loon had to film all the shots himself to make the time & certain shots were out of focus. The dim lighting with a really bright background also causes the camera to struggle with focus at certain angles, hence the out of focus facial shots. We also screwed up with white balance as we left camera on auto white balance. This causes certain footages to be extremely off colour which we tried to salvage in post. We did a semi decent job but it's rather noticeable. Of course we are extremely appreciative of Tomita san for allowing us to film the entire process of our visit, we could've done better. All in all we learned a lot this episode & will take note to improve in the future.

[@fabianlowakaisora2049]

I've seen worse... There was a vid I saw from another channel about eating oyster omelette at a particular location. The whole vid was about 7-8 mins long. Guess how long was the portion where they showcased the food? Less than 10 seconds! And they didn't even touch the food at all! Was just a plate of the food... The majority of the video, was this person walking around (I am guessing to showcase what stalls are there at the makan place) with the angle of the camera all messed up... Can't see clearly what each stall was selling... So really... Your video is literally “一个天，一个地”. Yes yes. My Chinese fail one... So apologies if I used the wrong term here. 😂

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Awww Fabian, your Chinese is fine! Thanks for being so kind & supportive! We won't let you guys down 😉

[@Taitea_____]

Enjoying your contect TGP, keep it up cheers

[@noah_lazar]

holding my phone with one hand watching this video.. looks heavenly!

[@biomanization]

Never too harsh. Always with respect to the restauranteur and honesty to the viewer. My favorite food vloggers, thanks!

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hello Paul, thank you for the kind words & we're glad you liked this episode! 😁

[@ShengistKahn]

This is great work

[@Synetik]

I need that in my life.

[@gelgel4823]

I love this review! This is the first time I've seen a food reviewer who says Tomita's broth is overly salty. Food reviewers shouldn't skimp on negative experiences or make it too indirect. Also, I recommend these ramen shops: Menya Takahashi (麺屋 髙橋) - Tsukemen with cold noodles in Sapporo IRUCA-Tokyo- Roppongi (入鹿TOKYO 六本木) - Yuzu Shio Ramen Ramen Iida Shoten (らぁ麺飯田商店) - Shio Tsukemen, highest ranking ramen shop in all of Japan, in Kanagawa Seijo Seika (成城青果) - Shio Ramen; started in June 2020, yet it was already one of the highest-ranking ramen shops in Tabelog, in Tokyo Ramen Maikagura (らーめんMAIKAGURA) - Tori Paitan Chicken with white truffle oil and a poached egg in Tokyo Chuukasoba Uemachi (中華そば うえまち) - Has one of the best shoyu ramen in Osaka Dateya (伊達屋) - Shoyu and shio ramen in Fukushima

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hi Gel Gel, glad you’ve enjoyed this vlog! Woooo love those recommendations! We’ve been eyeing Iida Shoten for a while but couldn’t get it into our schedule this trip, will definitely cross all these recommendations off our list on our future visits! Here’s a 🫡 to a fellow ramen head!

[@aronsadventures]

Thank you for making a detailed explanation of the ticketing system. It’s honestly so useful for those who have never been.

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hey Aron, glad this video is useful! Have fun in Tokyo!

[@aronsadventures]

@@TheGourmetPlate apparently they’re on omakase now for reservations.

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hey Aron, yes we found out recently that they are on Omakase too! Thanks for pointing it out 😉

[@aronsadventures]

@@TheGourmetPlate yeah it’s awesome that you don’t have to journey over there in the morning 😅

[@Pao_Pao_1]

You know its number 1 ramen when you hear the other guy sippin the S*** out of that noodles lmao.

[@redabdab]

Not really. That happens in all ramen places. It’s a sign you are enjoying the food. It doesn’t only happen in the no. 1 place in Japan. 🤦‍♂️

[@SparkzMxzXZ]

dont be too harsh on yourselves! even at your “worst”, the quality of this vlog far exceeds so many on youtube. and i say this as a person who generally doesnt prefer travel food vlogs. the audio was fine to me, and i could hear all of the commentary. thanks for the stellar effort as usual!

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hello Sparkz, nice to see you again! Thank you so much for the support & kind words! Glad you've enjoyed this episode 😊

[@redabdab]

This a really great video to watch right after Ramen Heads. It brings things a bit more down to earth. Sorry to hear the broth is less good than before. I was planning to go next year. Have you been to Fuunji? I’d be interested to hear what you think of it

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hi there 👋, glad you’ve enjoyed this video! Fuunji is a decent Tsukemen spot but in our opinion cannot hold a candle in terms of flavour to Tomita (this is still the best tsukemen we’ve tried so far). Do note Fuunji uses Tori Paitan Gyokai though so flavour profile is chicken with a seafood depth instead of pork and seafood. When we visited their broth was served warm instead of piping hot which was disappointing. The queue system during our visit was also a tad odd where customers queue right behind you while you’re eating, creating a weird tension for us 😂

[@ozchinoise]

Under the circumstances I would say it was a pretty good vlog!

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hello Sl Tey, thank you for being so kind, glad you enjoyed it despite the lackluster audio. We will improve, we promise 😉

[@Disaresta_ooo]

I ate at the Tokyo Station location on my last trip and left utterly disappointed and second-guessing myself. "Was that actually good tsukemen? Maybe I just don't like tsukemen anymore". I agree that the chashu was bad. The broth was okay for me but didn't wow me at all. I feel validated after watching your video, thanks!

[@ramenbatman]

I like the honest review. What's your fav now for tsukemen? Michi?

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hi, thanks! For us the best is still Tomita though 😂. As for favourite it’s rather personal since it’s not solely based on taste. For convenience, ease of getting a bowl and at a good enough quality our favourite is probably Rokurinsha 😉

[@KK-bc8gt]

I don't understand why your videos aren't getting pushed. They seem to tick all the boxes for an excellent food page.. And I can attest your palette is quite well developed. i held the same opinions as your dinner by Heston review and many others. Keep up the good work.

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hello KK 👋, thank you so much for the support & kind comment! Yes, KZbin works in weird ways I guess…😅 Hope we will keep you entertained with our future food vlogs too, see you in the next one! 😉

[@RAMN-kg3xo]

Tsukemen is eaten with a little noodle in the soup. If you mix it like you, the warm soup will get cold.

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hello there, thanks for sharing your view on how to consume Tsukemen😬, however we respectfully disagree… Our understanding of eating Tsukemen is to dip noodles fully as noodles are always served cold. This is why the dipping broth is always served piping hot so as to hold the heat throughout the course. Of course Tomita san’s current Tsukemen iteration is a tad different where he actually suggested to do only a half dip as the broth is too heavy for a full dip 😙 Hope you’ve enjoyed this vlog, we’ll see you in the next one!

[@pleanne8376]

do they have takeout? it kills me to wait in line for 3 hrs + over a lunch.

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hi, not sure if they do takeout, but they do sell frozen portions as well as boxed versions if we aren't mistaken.

[@birit911]

Thanks! I don’t have to wake up at 5 am

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hahaha, it is indeed quite a journey if you aren't particularly a die hard Ramen fan 😝

[@ShodaIsh]

Great vid! Sad to see he has changed his style. Do you prefer This or Rokurinsha?

[@ShodaIsh]

I just saw u answer my question at the end lol thanks!

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hey no worries 😉. Glad you’ve enjoyed this episode! 😋

[@1FaithMan1]

Mikey Chen is getting jealous 😂

[@noahkoh07]

Still gotta be tomita man for number 1

[@fabianlowakaisora2049]

faceful of "lor mee"! hahaha.

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Indeed hahahaa!

[@morechillis]

While you were introducing the wonderful broth and noodles I was totally distracted by the constant slurping sound in the background which was not from you. Anyway, a fantastic episode about Japanese ramen that I'd thoroughly enjoyed watching.

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hello Morechillis! Yes, the entire restaurant was full of loud slurping of noodles 😆. Thank you for the kind words & glad you've enjoyed this episode! 😁

[@kenchao95]

Do they have an english menu?

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hi Ken, we aren't too sure if they do...however they do have an instruction leaflet in somewhat readable English that guides you in the way to eat their Tsukemen. For their menu we think a quick google could yield some results! ☺

[@nicolelouisefauni4160]

Do they accept reservations or you really have to line up

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Hi Nicole, they do accept reservations on Omakase website however we had issues using foreign phone number, hence we had to head there early and queue 🤣

[@fabianlowakaisora2049]

2nd? 3rd? lol

[@TheGourmetPlate]

Awww, so close to keeping that record 😉

[@fabianlowakaisora2049]

@@TheGourmetPlate yeah. I was busy booking flights and hotel. Hehe.

[@TheGourmetPlate]

@@fabianlowakaisora2049 Ahhh, where to? 😁

[@fabianlowakaisora2049]

@@TheGourmetPlate Penang! With my fam.

[@TheGourmetPlate]

@@fabianlowakaisora2049 Wooo~ Enjoy your trip (AND LOTS OF FOOOOOOOOOD) 🤤🤤🤤

[@ahmedm6041]

Love your vlog but you speak too fast to understand what you were saying. No more vlogs?

[@TheMightsparrow]

The master has lost his touch? Disappointed i am