The third installment of the “Flavor Japan – Noodles” series: somen, i.e., Noodles Part 3. Somen is thin white wheat noodle, much thinner than udon and much lighter than soba (buckwheat noodle). Why have I not seen any somen in The States?!! It most closely resembles the Vietnamese bún in bún thịt nướng (grilled pork with rice vermicelli). Is that why I love it the most now, more than ramen, udon or soba? Maybe. This noodle is such a beauty.
The day we had it was also a beauty. We were wandering around Fukagawa at 10:45 or so and no restaurant that we wanted to try was open. Then I heard drumming and chanting, so I dragged Mutsumi toward the sound and ended up in Naritasan Fukagawa Fudoudou. Two imageries of this big temple will stay forever in my head: 1. a modern hall whose white outer walls are covered with a Sanskrit mantra in black, and 2. the fire ceremony with powerful drums, beautiful garments of the monks, and exceedingly warm and mellow chanting. We came in the middle of the ceremony, and it went on for at least another 30 minutes. The experience was so serene and so efficacious that I felt blessed being there. (Actually, the monks perform this ceremony daily, but chancing upon it without knowing about neither the temple nor the time of the ceremony beforehand is pretty miraculous already, don’t you think?). Photos were not allowed, and the atmosphere made me too obliged to be sneaky.
Our luck improved after the ceremony: restaurants had finally opened. By myself, I probably wouldn’t have wandered into this unassuming little shop though, because I wasn’t in the mood for noodles (!!!), but Mutsumi was, and how wise she was!
The menu outside.
The inside. Just enough room to seat 10 people downstairs, and if I’m not mistaken, there’s some seating upstairs too, for Mutsumi recognized a famous comedian walking upstairs to lunch.
Mutsumi got the regional specialty: fukagawa don – rice bowl topped with clam and tofu. The clam and tofu are simmered in some miso-based sauce just sweet and savory enough to contrast the refreshing quick-pickle and grated daikon on the side. Story (from Mutsumi) has it that the geisha of this district liked fukagawa don, and I’m inclined to believe that the geishas were connoisseurs.
My lunch set was more captivating than I expected: a small bowl of fukagawa don, tsukemono, the most pillowy piece of fried egg I ever had, tempura, SOMEN, and its accompanying dipping sauce. The somen went down so easily I had to refrain from finishing too fast. Little did I know, my eating was a spectacle to Mutsumi. She thought to herself at first that there was no way I would finish everything, and to her amazement not only did I finish it, I had room for dessert a few minutes later. (^_^)
I can’t read the name of the shop, but if you’re ever in the vicinity, visit Naritasan Fudoudou and walk a few steps to this shop. A lunch set like mine will set you back for only 900 yen (~ $9), but you’ll feel so elated that you can eat a whole street of desserts, too.
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Guest blogged by C. from Katsushika, Tokyo.
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