I like when successful shops open another branch. I like it even more when each new branch is a totally different concept. Shono, an awesome tonkotsu place just east of Shinjuku, gave way to Gachi, a fried-chicken-tsukemen spot in the middle of Shinjuku's gay-bar neighborhood. Next came Gotsubo, a tiny shop serving vege-centric noodles, next to Shinjuku's famous park. The latest, Gachi Aburasoba, goes with nothing but soupless noodles. Yes, in Shinjuku.
I live in Shinjuku, which made the wheelchair commute less painful than it could have been.
The concept of aburasoba is simple. Just leave out the soup, add a little extra tare seasoning sauce, and make sure there is plenty of high quality abura, fat, to bring the dish together.
Aburasoba can be hit or miss. Without the soup, the noodles need to be extra special. The larger aburasoba chain shops in Tokyo source their noodles from a factory. Not good.
Gachi makes theirs in the back. The thick ones, futomen, are outstanding. The noodle chef bills them as nama-pasta-chuka; fresh pasta Chinese style. Some of the best I've had.
And the oils. 太白胡麻油, sesame oil, and 亜麻仁油, flax seed oil, are both healthy and delicate. Not something you see much at ramen shops.
Add on a dollop of homemade seabura, pork back fat, and mix away.
Also on hand was a thin noodle version. Not bad, but it paled in comparison with those thick ones. Some of the best in town.
They opened on October 1st, so check it out if you have time for lunch in Shinjuku.
Check out my video for GACHI Aburasoba!
新宿区住吉町７－１０
Shinjuku, Sumiyoshicho 7-10
Closest station: Akebonobashi
Open 11:00-16:00
2 comments:
I like the Gachi recipe, great blog !
I love this place! So goooooood! So lucky that it's a 2-min walk for me!
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