Spicy Tsukemen @ RaSoba, Kamiyacho, Hiroshima

  

Spicy cold noodles is one of the few specialty of Hiroshima that funnily enough is not talked about a lot. When it comes to the gourmet trails here, it is usually oysters and the okonomiyaki pancakes that take the centerstage and all the attention. Having said that, accidentally missing this out is a huge disservice to people who like to live on the spicy side. 

Wet and wild in Hondori! Well, mostly wet. 

During the most recent visit to Hiroshima, me and my family were looking for a place to have some dinner after being stuck in the rain for hours. And as luck would have had it, most of the places are full, which is probably not surprising as many customers would want some shelter before the downpour stops. However, after some searching, we found a quaint noodle place in the form of RaSoba that was open and in fact, totally empty. Needing some food pronto, we jumped right in.  As you would have figured out,  the name "Rasoba" means spicy noodles and this shop seems to be a specialist in that. In addition to the aforementioned reimen, they do have tantanmen and mapo tofu dishes. It was then a no brainer for me to get the tsukemen's spicier cousin which stood at a modest 950 yen. 

Here comes the heat. 

Spicy tsukemen is not something you would see in most parts of Japan. But in Hiroshima they do things differently here. Reimen, or hiyashimen as it is called on other parts of Japan, is essentially cold noodles with fresh vegetables dipped into a tangy and spicy sauce and is a common favourite during the hotter seasons. When it comes to Hiroshima , this dish is served all year round and is affectionally called "Hiroshima tsukemen" since the way of eating it is similar to the regular dipping noodles which comes with a side of thick broth. So when you order tsukemen in these parts, do not be surprised when you get a cold plate of noodles and salad. 

Spicy!

Despite being raining quite heavily, it was a bit humid and having something cooling was what I needed. And although the dish is cold, it did pack a punch in terms of heat. The dipping sauce had a very mala style profile to it. Dark vinegar, chili oil and sesame, all combined with various other spices and sauces make this something quite interesting. Eating it was the same as any other tsukemen in the country, where you place the noodles in the dipping sauce before you slurp it into your gullet. The sauce was a seriously delicious concoction of sweet, spicy, nutty, and sour which was somehow balanced. The cold noodles and the salad vegetables that came with it provided a refreshing eating experience. The pork bits which are made from braised kakuni pork provided a nice balance of savoury and fattiness which makes the overall dish a bit more balanced and "warm", lacking of a better word. 

Actually looks amazing. 

If you are not a fan of cold noodles, do not fret, their tantanmen which stood at 900 yen was quite stellar too. The warm and nutty broth had a very nice earthy profile to it. The chilis here are more earthy and balanced as compared to the zesty and punch experience the tsukemen has blasted my mouth with. This is a totally different experience as compared to the cold tsukemen, but it was still very good. The mince meat was well seasoned and the woodear mushrooms provided a nice crunch.  Noodles were firm and springy too, with the broth latching on like some sludge, in a good way. And if you have extra, it is strongly recommended to mix the remainder broth with a side of rice which is given for free and make some form of spicy porridge. It was actually quite good and comforting. 

A peek inside

This eating experience once again proves that sometimes you can still find good food if you look hard enough. And at times and places that you least expected. Located in the middle of the Hondori shopping street, I was surprised that not more people would be here. But seeing that the rain felt like the second coming of the apocalypse, I guess some people would rather want to stay indoors instead. Having said that, if you are in the area while in Hiroshima, Rasoba is worth the detour. Especially if spicy noodles are your thing. Fancy a go? Then the address is as follows:

〒730-0031 Hiroshima, Naka Ward, Kamiyacho, 2 Chome−2−18 Sun Mall B1F

Front of the house.