A note on the words: oni-oroshi is daikon radish grated coarsely, so it keeps a crunch rather than turning to slush. Bukkake here just means the broth is poured over the noodles rather than served separately for dipping.
Mita Seimenjo, Ikebukuro East Exit on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Drinkers, thank you for waiting. It is Hangover Meshi time.
Ramen after drinking. I went and did it again. It was fairly late at night, and I was drawn into the blazing lights of the shop as if by a magnet.
You really are grateful for a late-night ramen shop.
Mita Seimen — there used to be one in Roppongi too. Founded in Mita in 2008, a tsukemen specialist with fifty shops nationwide. The very thick house-made noodles are made with the hydration adjusted to the temperature and humidity of the day.
Looking at the ticket machine screen, I spotted a seasonal item: oni-oroshi bukkake chilled noodles. That looks extremely good. The nights have been muggy lately, so let us blow the drink out of the system with cold noodles.
Sat down and waited for the oni-oroshi bukkake chilled noodles.
Waiting with a drink, of course. A cold highball is far too good.
Now that looks good.
First a mouthful of the cold broth. For something that looks so clear, the dashi savour is firmly there and the finish is clean. It settles beautifully into a stomach that has been drinking. (Is still drinking, in fact.)
The noodles are medium-thick, tightened in cold water. Over that smooth finish you tangle a great heap of coarsely grated oni-oroshi daikon, which brings a crunch and a gentle heat, and the yuzu peel on top lifts a cool fragrance over the whole thing.
The toppings are dressed for summer too. Softly cooked aubergine, and okra with its green snap. And holding its own as a leading player: karaage that won gold at the Karaage Grand Prix. Even on cold noodles the crust still crackles, and the savour of the chicken plants itself firmly in the middle of everything. Karaage added to something this clean is very good indeed.
The all-the-toppings plate comes separately: a seasoned egg with a sunset-coloured, thickly viscous yolk, menma bamboo shoots, chashu and nori. At this point these are not going on the noodles at all — they are a snack for the second highball.
Very satisfying. Full, and I think the drink has receded a little.
The oni-oroshi bukkake chilled noodles were extremely good, so: recommended. And I am grateful they stay open into the small hours. It is only going to get hotter, and the crunch of the oni-oroshi with the cool scent of yuzu is exactly right — do try it, especially as the last stop of a drinking night.
May you meet something good to eat today too.
Mita Seimenjo, Ikebukuro East Exit (tsukemen / Ikebukuro Station, Higashi-Ikebukuro Station, Higashi-Ikebukuro-yonchome Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.4
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
もう一杯どうぞ！
