Chugokusai Chirin

Riimen pairs specially made chlorella noodles with zha cai, char siu and spring onion, tossed in a soy sauce and sesame oil dressing. Diners have praised the chilled, springy noodles and the lively crunch of the pickled mustard greens and spring onion. It is an appealing choice for lunch on a hot day or alongside a beer. Ordered à la carte, it costs ¥1,400; it is also one of the noodle or rice options in the lunch mini-course.

Spicy mapo tofu offers another way to shape a meal. The lunch set describes it as flavoured with dried shrimp, house-made chilli oil and hand-ground Sichuan pepper. One dinner guest enjoyed the pepper’s fragrance and the pronounced heat, pairing the dish with simple char siu fried rice and eating them together like a mapo tofu rice bowl. The fried rice can be enjoyed on its own or combined with the tofu at the table.

The lunch mini-course brings together an assortment of four starters, a daily chef’s choice dish, a choice of char siu fried rice, riimen or Chirin clear soup noodles, soup and dessert. One diner recalled the soup as a highlight after the starters and chef’s choice dish; examples of desserts enjoyed by guests include oolong tea ice cream and mango pudding. It suits a lunch when you want a progression from appetisers through to something sweet, rather than just a noodle or fried rice dish.

After the meal, choose from teas such as Dong Ding oolong and pu’er. Both are served hot in a pot, with hot water added so you can enjoy around three infusions. It makes for a relaxed finish around the table. At Chugokusai Chirin in Kagurazaka, lunch might centre on the light, lively texture of the riimen, while dinner could pair mapo tofu with fried rice.