Thursday, July 11, 2019

せんだが家 (Sendaga-ya Mazesoba in Shinjuku, Tokyo)

せんだが家 まぜそば



I visited this newish mazesoba spot to film for YouTube. Three Minute Ramen!



Well, this idea of doing short, 3-minute videos on my YouTube channel was a failure. I blame the algorithm. Once I started doing shorter content, my views went from upwards of 50,000 views per video to around 5000 views per video. People in the know say that the YouTube algorithm, the function that suggests and automatically plays videos for users, now wants videos that are more than 10 minutes in length. So no more short videos.


Soupless mazesoba four ways. Aka, shiro, ki, and tsumi. 赤、白、黄、罪. Red, White, Yellow, and . . . sin?


Red must be spicy. In this case, it is similar to the Nagoya Taiwan style mazesoba.

White uses a homemade seasoning liquid, chashu, and raw egg. It's a mild choice.

Yellow is a curry thing.

Sin is garlic and fat. Jiro-style.


The shop has a chill vibe with tables, alcoholic drinks, and appetizers. Take your time.


The red is the one to get. A little spice, cubed chashu pork, and enough green onion to cover half the bowl. This is the style made famous by Hanabi in Nagoya and served all over the place these days. Soupless noodles are a trend, especially among overseas ramen lovers. I can see why; mix-em-up noodles are the ultimate junk food.


Add a little white rice at the end to sop up the extra sauce.


Crushed it!


Solid snack.


More drinks.


More snacks. This is a fun spot that just so happens to be a block from the reformed Olympic stadium. I tried to get tickets via the Japan-residents lottery but was denied. If anyone wants to take me to the opening ceremony, I'll treat you to a bowl and drinks here after!