Kinryu: A Gentle Ocean Breeze of Tsukemen in Tokyo
- 8 hours ago
- 2 min read
Every time I visit one of the Koike group ramen shops, I’m reminded how dialed-in they are. Everything feels intentional. Ramen executed at a very high level.
Kinryu (つけめん金龍) is no exception.
Tucked away near Kanda and Jimbocho in Tokyo, Kinryu specializes in tsukemen. Not the thick, ultra-heavy, cement-like kind. This is tsukemen with finesse.
The Signature White Shoyu Tsukemen
Kinryu’s main tsukemen leans super light.
It’s built around white soy sauce, mackerel oil, and niboshi dried fish and fish flakes. On paper, that might sound aggressively fish-forward.
It’s not.
This is one of the Koike group’s signature moves. The fish is there - undeniably - but presented gently. Like a breeze coming off the sea rather than a crashing wave.
The noodles are made in-house and are a huge part of the experience.
By default, they’re served resting in a kombu (kelp) and bonito (fish) bath - a subtle umami cushion that adds depth even before you dip them into the broth.
Choose hot or cold noodles (pictured is cold). Both work. It just depends on your mood.
Toppings show classic Koike polish: thin sous-vide pork slices, a beautifully cooked egg, and plating that feels almost too elegant for tsukemen.
They also offer the white soy sauce ramen found at King Seimen, another Koike group shop. But the tsukemen is the star here.
The Tantanmen Tsukemen (Kamaage Style)
Pictured is the tantanmen tsukemen with the noodles served kamaage-style - meaning hot noodles, straight from the pot, a technique borrowed from udon.
They come with a subtle touch of shoyu (soy sauce) clinging to them. The noodles are also thicker than the standard fish-based tsukemen above.
The dipping broth? It's spicy. Slightly sour. But it's less sesame-heavy than many tantanmen out there.
If you’ve had the Koike group’s Inose tantanmen, you’ll know they sometimes lean into soy milk for added creaminess. That’s not the case here.
This version is sharper. Spicy - but not punishingly so. A more delicate tsukemen that still hits.
And the presentation? As always, stunning. Enjoy the Japanese spinach and minced pork.
Kinryu Tsukemen in Tokyo - Why It All Works
Kinryu is small. Intimate. The kind of shop where you sit at the counter and simply focus on what’s in front of you.
It’s close enough to Akihabara to make it an easy stop if you’re exploring the area, yet it feels far removed from the chaos.
Kinryu chooses subtlety. It proves that tsukemen can be refined - a gentle ocean breeze.
