Setagaya’s Ramen Koike, whose innovation in this most unassuming of culinary staples has won it Michelin Bib Gourmand status, adds to its growing list of sister eateries with tsukemen spot Aidaya. But this recent opening, in Ueno subdistrict Okachimachi, doesn’t make a speciality of its superior-quality tsukemen dipping noodles. Instead, the signature dish is a simple bowl of white rice topped with Japan’s celebrated Kuroge wagyu sirloin beef.
Aidaya is nestled in a shopping alley that is easily overlooked from the main street. Once you’ve located it and found a spot at the counter, wall art mixing giant-sized calligraphy with graffiti tags (as well as a cluster of Supreme stickers back in the kitchen) lets you know that Aidaya isn’t quite your traditional tsukemen joint.
The tsukemen options themselves are worth shouting about. Medium-thick noodles with an exceptionally chewy texture, sourced from sister shop King Seimen in Tokyo’s Oji, are offered with your choice of either one (¥950) or two (¥1,250) soy sauce-based dipping broths, from a four-strong lineup comprising ‘pork bone seafood’, garlic, prawn, and the spicy, Sichuan-derived tan tan.
As for that Kuroge wagyu speciality, it’s something of an affordable luxury at ¥700 a pop, and the price includes one free refill of rice. On the other side of the counter, an Aidaya cook will pluck a pinky-red slither of this delicacy from a wooden box, then cook it to perfection before your eyes. Enjoy just as it is, or pour over some raw egg and mix it into the meat’s juices.
Text by Darren Gore