After having an awesome breakfast at Junkissa PanEsu, we looked for a lunch spot that is as awesome. We walked by Tokyo Tarako spaghetti a day before, and it was packed with people waiting outside. We went over around 11am, and it was still quiet. The entrance is on the second floor, so we walked up with excitement.
We got there before the lunch rush hours, so we got a table immediately. The inside was a bit smaller than I expected, but still a nice size. Comfortable chairs with plenty of space on the table. They also had some counter seats by the kitchen.
They had some condiments specifically for their dishes, such as Mentai-Soy Sauce, Yuzu-Shichimi, and Red Sansho. Also some napkins and wet naps for your hands. As soon as we were settled at our table, a staff brought us nice hot Japanese teas, which are complimentary. It came in a cute little tea cup, and the tea was very good.
Their menu had lots of photos, making it easy to see what it is you are ordering. But, it didn’t make it easy to decide, since they all looked really enticing! I finally decided to go with one of their recommended/featured menu item, Roasted Tarako with Soup Stock Spaghetti Set (炒りたらこのお出汁スパゲティ) (1,240 yen). My hubby went with Seasonal/Limited Time menu item, 4 kinds of Fish Roe and Matsumae Pickles Tarako Spaghetti Set (4種の魚卵と松前漬けのたらこスパゲティ) (1,390 yen). This also comes with the soup stock. When our food arrived, we were happily impressed. The wooden tray with everything placed so neatly and beautifully.
The spaghetti looked amazing! I couldn’t wait to dig in. Tarako is a salted sacks of cod roe, a spicier sibling of mentaiko. I love both tarako and mentaiko, so I was very excited for this meal. The spaghetti and the soup stock are served cold. The spaghetti had perfectly roasted cod roe, seaweed, sesame, spring onions, shiso, ginger, and a different kind of fish roe on top.
The set includes rice seasoned and cooked with ginger, and a couple of side dishes, which were marinated veggies and pickled veggies.
There was an instruction on how to best enjoy your spaghetti with soup at each table. I made sure to read it while waiting for the food. It says that first, try the spaghetti and soup separately on its own, so that you can appreciate the flavor of each ingredient.
Second, you can pour the soup on your spaghetti, mix to loosen the pasta, and enjoy. You can pour as little or as much of the soup onto the spaghetti, based on your preference. I recommend adding the soup a little at a time to get exactly how you like it. If you like strong flavor, then the less amount of soup will be better. If you like milder flavor, then more soup would be better. Cod roe was meaty and perfectly roasted on the outside. The spaghetti was cooked just right, plump and tasty. The dish also came with some caviars, dried seaweed, sesame seeds, and spring onions. Everything went perfectly together, creating a beautiful symphony.
My hubby’s spaghetti was like a jewelry box, filled with shiny and tasty fish roe. He also asked for the extra serving of spaghetti (+250 yen), so it the special kama-bowl was filled up! It had a generous amount of each roe. Matsumae Pickles is dried squid, kombu, and herring roe pickled together. Everything looked so good!
He also ate them without the stock soup first, then added it after appreciating the each flavor. He liked it with ample of stock soup, and with all the different kinds of fish roe, the soup spaghetti was packed with umami!
Their bathroom is located in the back right, through the red noren, or fabric divider/curtain. They had one bathroom for women, and another one was gender neutral. As Harajuku is popular among female, and Tokyo Tarako Spaghetti also gets many female customers, that makes sense. They had two sinks right outside the bathroom doors, for anyone who just want to wash their hands.
The bathroom was very clean, organized, and well-lit. I like the use of the wood in here.
We originally thought we would also try some kind of dessert, but we were happily full after the meal. But, we didn’t have any room left for dessert… We loved our dishes, the spaghetti was amazing, certainly a unique Japanese dish that I don’t think we can get anywhere else. The quality was high, and the care that went into creating the dish was great. If you want to try Spaghetti that is uniquely Japan, give Tokyo Tarako Spaghetti a try!
Tokyo Tarako Spaghetti – Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 6 Chome−7−16
東京たらこスパゲティ- 東京都渋谷区神宮前6-7-16エムエスビル2階