Menya Sugo Tori no Toriko: Shimbashi’s New Chicken Paitan Ramen

Menya Sugo Tori no Toriko - A New Shop, A New Direction

Menya Sugo Tori no Toriko (麺屋周郷 鶏のとりこ) is the newest shop from Menya Sugo, and it's the first one in the lineup that isn't tsukemen. The original Shimbashi shop, the spicier Kanda location, and the Meguro location (Miyabi) are all dipping ramen specialists, and I've been to all three.

Tori no Toriko breaks that pattern entirely: it's a straight-up ramen shop, focused on rich chicken ramen (tori paitan), and it opened last December close to the original Shimbashi honten.

Shiro or Aka

The menu is simple: shiro (white) or aka (red). Shiro is the straight, unadorned rich chicken broth — no spice, just the paitan itself. Aka takes that same base and runs a river of chili oil through it, one that leans sweet rather than sharp. I went with aka.

A Warning Before You Hit the Ticket Machine

Here's the thing to know before you walk up to the ticket machine: when it asks how spicy you want it, don't underestimate the standard "spicy" setting. The chicken depth gets buried, and I'm told there's a fish component in there too that I couldn't detect once the chili oil took over.

Don't take that as a knock, though — this is still a delicious bowl, just one that brings heat more than anything else.

The Broth Itself

The soup still delivers on texture. It's unmistakably a well-built, velvety chicken paitan underneath all that spice. Just go in knowing you're trading some nuance for heat.

Ginger Foam — A First for Me

The most interesting thing on the bowl, by a wide margin, is the ginger foam sitting on the side — an espuma, essentially. I'm not sure I've encountered ginger foam anywhere, period. It's a genuinely novel touch, though I'll say again that with the spicy version, it's easier to lose track of it.

Toppings and Noodles

Loaded up with everything, you get two cuts of pork chashu, one chicken chashu, a soft-boiled ajitama, and minced pork on top — a generous spread for a bowl that runs a bit higher than typical Shimbashi ramen pricing.

The noodles come from Kanno Seimen, a noodle maker with a strong reputation, and here they're on the thinner, drier side — not a delicate hosomen, but leaner and less springy than you might expect from a shop this rich.

Condiments Worth Using

Condiment game here is strong: three different sansho (numbing pepper) preparations plus an apple vinegar that pairs really well against the sweetness of that red chili oil, letting you adjust the bowl as you go.

Final Take

I'll be upfront that rich chicken paitan isn't usually my style of ramen. But Tori no Toriko is a smart, well-executed addition to the Menya Sugo lineup. It furthermore holds its own in a Shimbashi ramen scene that's already about as stacked as it gets in Tokyo.

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