I know pasta seemed like the food with the least priority for anyone travelling to Tokyo as it is often categorized as something Italian. But having lived in Tokyo for a while, sushi, ramen, soba and udon can get boring at times and I would go for 和風 (Japanese-style) pasta when the carb cravings hit. In fact, the Japanese has done an amazing job with pasta and my encounters with Wafu pasta so far has never never disappoint. One good example is the uni pasta from Fregoli in Ebisu.
If you love Wafu Pasta just like me, Spajiro is a casual quick Japanese-style pasta restaurant that you might be interested to check out. It is an all-day dining place with more than 50 varieties of pasta (so you can never get bored with this) It has the word "Jiro" but this is so much better than the Jiro ramen (sorry Jiro fans)
The concept is casual-- suitable for both family-friendly and single diners--but the folks here take their noodles seriously. From the amount of time taken to boil the noodles to the compatibility of flavors, each sauce is prepared from scratch upon every order (says the website) and 2 limited edition pasta are introduced every month.
For instance, this Mentaiko Natto Ume-jiso (¥980) was a special edition pasta during the hot summer month of June. The bowl looked simplistic but the flavors were not elusive at all. The umejiso (pickled plum and Shiso leaf dressing) gave the carbs a nice sour kick, very much like eating puréed Ume boshi (savoury and sour pickled plums). However, the pasta were little overcooked.
Something better and perhaps more reliable is the Baked Cheese Eggplant Cream Meat Sauce Pasta (¥1030) from their Best 10 list. I loved this more than the previous one because it has a creamy base but not too much liquid like a soup pasta. Melty cheese and soft luscious eggplant, the deliciousness of this dish required no explicit explanation.
If you are a huge carb monster, the noodles can be upgraded to M, L and XL size for FREE. Yes, FREE. My friend and I were hungry but our regular = S sized portion already made us full after the meal. Most outlets open till midnight while the Roppongi outlet feeds the late night owls all the way till 8am the next morning. The food scene in Tokyo at night is never only about beer and grub Izakaya bites.
Spajiro 釜あげスパゲッティ すぱじろう
Tokyo, Chuo-ku Ginza 3-4-1
Daily 11am-11pm
Tokyo, Chuo-ku Ginza 3-4-1
Daily 11am-11pm
For other outlets in Roppongi, Ebisu, Azabu-juban
visit http://www.spajiro.com/
visit http://www.spajiro.com/
That SpaJiro's Japanese Style Pasta looks so good, and it's truly a remarkable find considering that, as you pointed out, Japan is all about sushi and ramen. That Mentaiko Natto Ume-jiso looks so interesting, I bet that umijiso and natto gave that a really interesting blend of texture, aroma, and taste. Thanks for sharing your post and your great Japanese-style pasta find in Tokyo!
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