Nakajima: Bonanza of flavor!
Nakajima serves up mouth-watering Japanese/Chinese fusion in heaping portions that satisfy from the first bite to the last
Nakajima's signs set it off against the neighborhood's more low-key dining fareSituated along Meijidori, I was initially drawn to Nakajima one rainy day following a fairly intense, hours-long client meeting. The restaurant's food photos catch your eye, unlike the other fare on offer on the block. There is a certain shade of red-orange that signifies tantanmen, Chinese spicy noodles, and it has somehow become my (admittedly lazily pursued) life-goal to track down every decent tantanmen restaurant in greater Tokyo. Nakajima wins in this department, as well as so many more.
Beneath a latticed ceiling tastefully concealing the usual tangle of ductwork, electrical, and water pipes sits a well-worn lacquered counter and a smattering of wallside tables. At lunchtime they are always near-full, though Nakajima is worth the wait. Evenings find the restaurant sparsely peopled with customers, though those there are always engrossed in gobbling whaever is put in front of them with reckless abandon.
Behind the counter, the staff display mind-boggling wok skills, tossing fresh vegetables, spices, and other ingredients from aluminum containers into a blur of deftly-juggled woks. These mighty feats of wrist strength and fortitude are coupled with an idiosyncratic but pleasing soundtrack of early Sun Records recordings and smiling, chatty staff who are quick to help, but must be getting some serious neck strain from bending over to say goodbye to patrons individually as they leave.
Food highlights include their plump, pan-seared shrimp smothered in mayonnaise and avocado, pork cheeks in a robust Szechuan sauce over rice (tempered for the often-meek Japanese palette), and sesame ramen. All are worth seeking out, though I recommend trying my latest ordering technique: put ¥1000 in the ticket machine used for menu selection and stab at will. I go bi-weekly and have not been disappointed yet.
3-18-7 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 〒 150-0002
麺飯食堂 なかじま
〒150-0002 東京都渋谷区渋谷3-18-7ナルセビル1階
Open 7 days a week
M-S 11am-4am
Su 11am-10:30pm
It's small. It's simple. It's delicious.
Behind the counter, the staff display mind-boggling wok skills, tossing fresh vegetables, spices, and other ingredients from aluminum containers into a blur of deftly-juggled woks. These mighty feats of wrist strength and fortitude are coupled with an idiosyncratic but pleasing soundtrack of early Sun Records recordings and smiling, chatty staff who are quick to help, but must be getting some serious neck strain from bending over to say goodbye to patrons individually as they leave.
Food highlights include their plump, pan-seared shrimp smothered in mayonnaise and avocado, pork cheeks in a robust Szechuan sauce over rice (tempered for the often-meek Japanese palette), and sesame ramen. All are worth seeking out, though I recommend trying my latest ordering technique: put ¥1000 in the ticket machine used for menu selection and stab at will. I go bi-weekly and have not been disappointed yet.
3-18-7 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 〒 150-0002
麺飯食堂 なかじま
〒150-0002 東京都渋谷区渋谷3-18-7ナルセビル1階
Open 7 days a week
M-S 11am-4am
Su 11am-10:30pm
