The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not reflect the views of Spoon University.
Being born and raised in Miami (and having dined at Michelin Star restaurants, college dining halls, and impoverished street grub worldwide) means that I know what food I like and what good food SHOULD taste like. So, I am on a mission to find the Boston restaurants that are worth your time, effort, and money.
This is also a continuation of my Under the Radar Series.
For the record – I will travel 45 minutes for an amazing bowl of ramen every time I’m given the chance.
Tsurumen was an interesting little stumble-in situation for me. When I can’t figure out what to do with my weekend I’ll pick an area and explore. This past weekend that area was Davis Square.
Tsurumen is a quiet ramen shop, and the vibes were very welcoming and comforting when I walked in at 12:15 on a Sunday.
The children behind me were very helpful in knowing what I was about to get into, happily telling their parents “This is so yummy!” after tasting their bowls of ramen.
I learned the story behind the restaurant while I was sitting – according to their website, their chef decided he wanted to have a 1000-day pop-up to master his craft of ramen, with the menu changing every 200 days. The chef is originally from Osaka, and this place is Osaka-style ramen. Somewhere along the way, Chef Onishi fell in love with the area and Tsurumen is now here to stay.
How It Works
As you walk in you are greeted with a board of the ramen styles. You order the ramen style you want and any add-ons at the counter. After that you seat yourself and there’s a small cart in the back with utensils, water, seasonings, and napkins. There was also an option to buy tea bags to use with the hot water mode on the water dispenser.
What I ordered
I stared at the menu when I walked in and couldn’t figure out what I wanted because it all looked tasty. So I asked the cashier what was her favorite, and she answered “The truffle one”. I happily took the recommendation.
The name of this truffle ramen dish is ‘Truffle Shantang’ – it is described by the website’s menu as “Black truffle, clear chicken broth, homemade thin noodles, sliced pork chashu, and bamboo shoots“. I also added an onsen egg.
When the bowl arrived it smelled amazing. I went with trying the broth first and it was rich, flavorful, and truffly. The noodles had the right amount of chew and bounce and it was clear they were hand-pulled and incredibly tasty. On top of that, they did not skimp on my noodles- the bowl was filled to the brim. The egg added a richness to the flavor of the broth and made it a bit thicker.
My complaints about this bowl come from the bamboo shoots, which I originally thought were mushrooms, that were too tough to eat/chew. I also don’t love raw onions, and red onions were mixed in which made them hard to avoid. Also, the pork, while delicious due to the broth it was absorbing, was a bit too fatty for my taste. Texture is always the thing that gets me and I can’t do the texture of too much fat in my meat. However, these are all personal preferences, and the bowl itself was fantastic.
This bowl of ramen got an 8.5/10 for me and I will happily eat this again, I just need to order without the diced red onions.
Conclusion
So have I found the best ramen spot in Boston? Go try for yourself.
After some searching, I did end up finding a few recommendations for this place, but they were not as clear as they should have been. So, I’m also calling this one an under-the-radar spot.
In a city overrun by bowls of ramen that claim they are ‘the best’, this bowl comes with no gimmicks, no frills, just pure tasty ramen through and through. On top of that the noodles, toppings, and other add-ins are made fresh daily and you can really taste it in the bowl. Tsurumen is definitely underrated and a locals-know kind of place. I’m not one to gatekeep though, so if you are looking for a promising bowl of ramen and are in the Davis Square area I highly suggest you try here.
Overall this got an 8.5/10 for me and went into my Beli as an 8.4/10, and I will be coming back (even though it is a 45-minute trip from my dorm).
Tsurumen is located at 420 Highland Ave Somerville, MA 02144 and is open Tuesday-Sunday 11:30 am-2:30 pm and 5 pm-8:30 pm