Perfect tsukemen noodles at Chukasoba Nishino

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1. [Chukasoba Nishino (中華蕎麦 にし乃)](https://youtu.be/3PYRHao34ug) is a top level ramen shop near Hongo-Sanchome station, just to the West of Ueno and Akihabara. Normally, Nishino is well known for their light and yet rich shio ramen. But it is summer and I was enticed by their summer gentei special, which they called Sudachi Hiya Hiya Tsukemen. Another thing that Nishino is famous for is their plump wantan, don’t miss out on those.

   The cold tsukemen was presented really beautifully, extremely visually pleasing. The extremely long noodles are draped into a bowl that is filled with the umami boosting kombusui, literally “kombu water”, which is made by boiling kombu kelp in water at high temperature for a long time. It has incredible umami qualities to it, but also has the tendency to become slimy. Not so at Nishino, where it has a negligible viscosity and yet retains a good umami kick. As just mentioned, the noodles themselves are extremely long, which makes them fun but also a bit cumbersome to eat, since you oft need to lift them waaaay up, to get them into your dipping soup. They are thin and have a snappy and firm quality to them, giving them a really good bite.

   The soup is, from what I would guess, a chicken base with a niboshi kick. Lots of green onion and the sudachi citrus slices give it a fresh and tangy feel, that fits well to the overall refreshing theme of the dish. With cold broths, it is quite difficult to hit the right balance between flavor, salinity and freshness. Simply said, cold broths often taste quite boring since a lot of flavors a way more subdued, especially extracts of meats and bones. Somehow they managed to keep those flavors punching in this dipping soup.

   If you would like see and learn more about this dish and this ramen shop, check out this short video: [https://youtu.be/3PYRHao34ug](https://youtu.be/3PYRHao34ug)

   In the video, I also explain the eating instructions which are given by the restaurant.