Ranmaru

Ranmaru (らんまる)

⭐⭐⭐

🍣 Sushi / 📍 Fudomae

📓 Visits: 1

Ranmaru is the defining restaurant of the sushi boom.  In 2018, Yukichika Shimazu opened Ranmaru as a sister restaurant to Sushi Rinda aged just 25.  He set out to attract a younger crowd serving quality sushi in a convivial atmosphere.  The signature "Ranmaru Maki", became a sensation.  It's the item that graces the masthead of Tokyo Table Trip.  Nakaji-san of Hatsunezushi has been exploiting social media for years on Facebook but it's probably Ranmaru that started the trend of the Instagram "itamae pose".  Dinner was originally 10 nigiri and 8 otsumami for JPY 8,000.  That was insane.  Prices quickly went up to 12k for around 16 nigiri and 6 otsumami, but that's still extraordinary value.  Exceptional value, a fun atmosphere and that signature makimono made for a restaurant that became wildly popular in a very short space of time.

Shimzazu-san went independent at the end of 2020 (review here) and the man in charge now is Koki Tanabe.  I never visited Ranmaru while Shimazu-san was there but two excellent meals at his debut restaurant finally made me visit for lunch in March 2021.  At the time of my visit lunch which was priced at JPY 6,600 inclusive for around 14 nigiri.  This was previously JPY 3,500 for 10 pieces but from June 2021 the price has gone up again to JPY 10,000 inclusive.  Dinner is now priced at JPY 18,000 plus tax and service and hasn't changed since the second hike about a year after the restaurant opened.

My lunch was fairly uneven.  An otsumami of shirao wasn't fried a-la-minute so was greasy.  Akami zuke had a woolly texture.  Otoro had excellent flavour but had sinew.  Ikura was outside of peak season: the roe was small in diameter and served with yam, making for a very sticky dish.  Hotate was excellent but was topped with chili flakes, not to my preference.  Kuruma ebi was large and the flavour was okay but it was a bit tough.  The final nigiri of kaki did not have much flavour.  There was a major fault in the meal where they started grilling shiitake at the counter.  The aroma was so strong it was affecting the taste of the sushi.  If that sounds ridiculous then consider that many restaurants ask customers to refrain from wearing strong perfume for exactly the same reason.  As for the shiitake themselves (served as otsumami) they were overcooked for me and the use of sudachi was heavy-handed.  Rice was a bit hard and was served too warm with the second nigiri, though this was the only point in the meal where I could make that complaint.  The best pieces in the set were probably the nodoguro aburi, the amai ebi, the kohada and the hirame with ankimo.

All-you-can-drink orange juice is served at the end of the meal.  It's produced by the restaurant's owner so they're getting it at cost so when they say nomihodai, don't be shy.  Only one variety of juice was available at lunch rather than three at dinner.  Water was from a large bottle of Fuji water and not charged.  The inclusion of 3 kinds of gari added to the fun.

The atmosphere was relaxed and fun.  Tanabe-san doesn't have quite the same personality as Shimazu-san but did chat and the other staff make up for it a bit.  There wasn't really any English spoken on my visit and there were 3 other non-Japanese diners for a total of 8.

I did not add the Ranmaru maki to my course.  It's JPY 6,000 for a whole one, or you can have half at half the cost, and I didn't want to shell out another few thousand yen on sushi of mediocre quality.

Frankly, I did not enjoy the sushi at Ranmaru - there was just too much to fault.  It was cheap but there are better options for a cheap sushi lunch.  As I noted, the price at lunch went up recently and while dinner is still competitively priced it's no longer the miracle pricing it once was.  I wonder if I had been to Ranmaru in Shimzazu-san's day if I would have been interested in his new restaurant.  While not everything is perfect at Shimazu, it really is several levels above Ranmaru so don't think you're getting a taste of Shimazu at Ranmaru.

A complex of temples, including Meguro Fudoson, is a stone's throw from the restaurant and is one of best temples for visitors in Tokyo.  It's especially beautiful in cherry blossom season and well worth allocating some time to explore.  Perhaps I enjoyed the stroll round the temple more than the sushi.  Brutal?

📌 https://tabelog.com/tokyo/A1317/A131710/13217903/ 

❓ My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3.75 (lunch) 

📱 Booking: Book by phone a week or two in advance.  Two rotations at dinner, one at lunch.

📍 Location:

3-16-2 Shimo-Meguro.  Dedicated street-facing entrance.  8 mins walk from Fudo-mae station.  15 mins from Meguro station.
Map data ©2021 Google 

📅 Visit March 2021

Nodoguro aburi
Shirao agemono (otsumami)
Akami zuke
Amai ebi
Otoro
Wakame (otsumami)
Kohada
Hirame ankimo
Shitake (otsumami)
Ikura, yam mini donburi
Hotate
Kuruma ebi
Uni
Ika shiso maki
Kaki
Juice

💴 Damage: 6,600 including bottled water
⏱️ Time taken: 1h30m