Taishoken (Ikebukuro branches) - Ramen shop

Ramen has traditionally always been served in hot broth (soup); however a relatively recent trend is tsukemen style, in which the noodles (served luke-warm) are dished separately on their own plate while the broth remains served in a bowl. The idea is simple yet fun, take some noodles and dip them into the hot broth, consume, repeat.

Tsukemen is now a mainstay and is offered at almost all Tokyo ramen shops; however its origins go back about 40 years when then inspiring Ramen chef Kazuo Yamagishi was "caught" (viewed by a customer) dipping his noodles into a separate cup of broth. Today Yamagishi-san is retired and considered a legend for the contributions he made to this once simple dish.
Tsukemen broth is usually a thicker and more hearty than its counterpart's. Taishoken's is made from pork, chicken and anchovies and is boiled down until additional ingredients are added, such as shoyu, miso, or spice.
I've been to the two Ikebukuro branches, unfortunately neither are the original shop- which was torn down a few years ago due to a city construction project. On my first visit I had to go with what made them famous, the tsukemen. The broth was almost sweet & sour in flavors, and was a little thinner than I was expecting. I consider it excellent tsukemen, but not the best I've had. On my visit to their other Ikebukuro store I tried out their traditional soup-based ramen; again the broth was on the light side (though broth can definitely get lighter). And again I very much enjoyed the quality and taste, but... I've had better.

The Cat & Cask Tavern

Early into my trip, while browsing Metropolis I came across an article on The Cat & Cask Tavern which immediately caught my attention; as a British-style pub in Tokyo serving ji-biru I imagined a potentially interesting place to grab a few pints at. Always being one to thoroughly cross check my references before spending precious beer-money - I ran a quick search and was directed to BeerInJapan.com, a local beer-site also posting a positive article on this peculiar pub. With two inspiring reviews and some spare cash in my pocket I was all ready to get out of the apartment and onto the train to Ikebukuro.
Oddly, The Cat & Cask Tavern is located in a residential area, a setting a far cry away from where anyone would expect a bar to be. As I navigated off the main street and into the residential neighborhood, the street lights faded away and a sense of intrigue crept into my mind; though before I knew it I had arrived, standing infront of an ordinary house with only a small seal representing that this was indeed the place.
Deep breath and open the door...
Immediately upon entering all notions of this being an ordinary house were left outside; what I found inside was an absolutely charming pub!
Owned & operated by the resident of the house, Wayne - a British gentleman who came to Japan in the early 80's and has remained here - realized his life dream of owning a pub only just recently, but obviously the wait was well worth it. Beautifully dark stained wood paneling define the decor which is complimented with wooden tables and chairs. On the walls hang what you would expect to find in a British pub: various posters and mirrors of UK beers, which are decorated tastefully and sparingly to compliment the fresh stain of white painted walls. And notably there there is a coat tree, oh how very English indeed! It's the small details which create the pleasant atmosphere.
While Wayne is master of the bar, his wife, Yuko, works the kitchen and creates the food menu; also notable is Lonnie a neighbor to the pub, loyal patron, and the bar's in-house jazz musican.
The Cat & Cask offers four taps: 3 local japanese microbrews, and the fourth being a mainstream larger serving the purpose of being more affordable and palatable to some. The following is just some of the beers I have had there (i.e. those which I was able to document):

Shiga Kogen - IPA

Shiga Kogen - Draft Pale Ale (Harvest Brew)

Minoh - W-IPA (double IPA)

Shinga Kogen - 40th Anniversary Ale

Ozeno Yukidoke - IPA

[The Cat & Cask Tavern's web site is here]

Fu-unji - Ramen Shop

[Above photo "borrowed" from here]

Put simply, Fu-unji is [some of] the best ramen I have ever had! And I've had allot of ramen. It's in their broth, man; it's thick, strong and musky. If it's too strong for your tastes- you can mix-in a light broth to water it down; this is common for their tsukeman (dipping ramen - pictured) to make easier drinking what remains once your noodles are gone.
So their broth is heavy (my preferred style) and is a tonkotsu (pork bone) gyoukai (fish & clam) broth containing a healthy amount of chopped-up chashu (pork slices), onions and menma (bamboo) making it almost stew-like. Pay attention while your here and you'll notice small details which attribute to their outstanding quality, for example they pre-warm bowls using broth- which is drained just prior to the noodle placement.
Don't be surprised to wait in line for 45 minuets during peak lunch hours, or 15 to 30 mins at other times; but it's well worth it. Just standing in line watching the master and his underlings work is worth the wait and keeps your mind at ease. The master is a true gentleman and keeps the line organized and moving, an essential part of running a successful ramen shop.

I've been here twice now for their tsukemen, but plan on hitting it up one more time to try the traditional soup based ramen; stay tuned...

[Fu-unji's website is here]