Even within Tokyo’s notoriously austere ramen community, Mintei is considered one of the legends; it’s blessed the streets of Shimokitazawa for over 60 years. This mythical machi chuka – a subgenre of Chinese food deeply ingrained in neighbourhoods and often family-run – is best known for its pink fried rice, variety of ramen and brilliant store motto.
Said slogan hangs on a little sign beside the door and reads: ‘The world’s third best tasting. Number 1 is your mother’s cooking. Number 2 is the taste of your old man’s shins’ (an expression meaning living off one’s father’s money). ‘Number 3 is the taste of Mintei’s noodles.’ That should tell you all you need to know.
On the ground floor is their massive, lab-like kitchen lined with iron woks and counter seats that wrap around its entirety. Upstairs is a tatami room with low tables, leather floor cushions and colourful beer crates lining the wall. If you opt for upstairs, the food comes up in an old-fashioned dumbwaiter, which is always fun.
The menu is expansive – so many regional specials are executed well – but the no-brainer order is the half-fried rice, half-ramen set for ¥1,100. Their famed fried rice gets its pink hue from the char siu marinade and is basically flawless: aromatic and oily, yet dry enough that you can taste each individual grain of rice along with the bits of fried egg scattered throughout each bite. Their ramen is equally fantastic, featuring a clear shoyu pork broth with thin, firm noodles topped with a slice of pork plus nori and spinach. It comes with a small side of kimchi that leans more sweet than spicy.
If you’d rather choose your own adventure, let us suggest a few options. Gyoza is an obvious choice, but if you’ve never heard of bungie – a chicken wing flavoured with garlic and soy sauce – we urge you to get it. Their thick noodle yakisoba comes recommended by the staff, as does their hiyashi chuka, a cold noodle in a vinegary tare sauce topped with sliced cucumber, pork, tomato, egg and a dollop of karashi mustard.
Prime lunch hours and dinner time can be very busy, and since they’re open from 11.30am to 8pm, coming too late can also be a gamble. This is the optimal place for an early dinner or a late lunch – in this city, even a matter of twenty minutes can change your experience from crazy rush hour to perfectly manageable.