Asahi
The Japan Times’ Robbie Swinnerton writes today about an ital (rasta vegan) noodle joint in Higashi-Kitazawa.
Nakajima runs the whole show single-handed, so he keeps his menu simple, with only a small selection of side dishes. He prepares a satisfying platter of vegetables, some cooked, some raw, some pickled, some from the ocean. And in place of the standard soba-shop staple, duck meat, he pan-fries cutlets of handmade kofu — wheat gluten which is produced by kneading wheat dough — a traditional preparation that is served in Zen monasteries.
Apart from just one item, the dashi-maki tamago omelet, Asahi is totally vegan. That philosophy extends to the dips that Nakajima serves with his soba (at most noodle shops, fish stock is blended in to give extra depth to the basic soy sauce flavor).
Asahi
4-32-26 Kitazawa, Setagaya-ku.
Tel: 03 3485 7785
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