Orthodox Tokyo-style chuka soba is given a contemporary twist at this Nakameguro newcomer, run by a chef trained at Sugamo’s ever-popular Marue. Mikan’s version of the capital classic (¥950) takes the usual clear chicken broth and spices it up with several kinds of dried fish, including niboshi and katsuobushi. Paired with a crisp shoyu tare, the mixture assumes a distinctive flavour that should satisfy both traditionalists and slurpers on the hunt for something new.
The curly house-made noodles are a bit thicker than in your usual chuka soba, while the toppings check all the required boxes: mustard greens, menma, scallion slices, char siu, a boiled egg, and the obligatory naruto. We were especially impressed by the two varieties of char siu; one a fatty belly cut, the other a thick red braised chunk.
Other options include shio soba (from ¥950), mackerel-broth tsukemen (¥1,250) and a rice and char siu bowl (¥450) that big eaters should find a nice complement to the noodles.