Today I want to introduce a style of Tsukemen that's spicier than usual. I'm referring specifically to Hiroshima Tsukemen. I had a chance to visit the city awhile back, and had to check out the local specialty.
Hiroshima Tsukemen is referred locally as "Reimen" or chilled noodles, and is a variation on Hiyashi Chuka. Hiyashi Chuka is soupless chilled noodle dish that is popular in the summer. Typical toppings include cucumber, egg, tomato, and a sauce of shoyu/vinegar/sesame is poured on top.
Hiroshi Tsukemen traces it's roots to a shop started in the 1950's called Shinkaen. Ramen noodles are topped with boiled cabbage, sliced cucumber, green onions, and cha-shu. The dipping sauce is a shoyu base with togarashi, ra-yu (chili oil), vinegar, and sesame seeds. This shop was a hit, and imitators sprung up all over the city. Despite it's popularity in Hiroshima, it hasn't become a national hit. I've seen a few shops come and go in Tokyo but nothing that's considered a "must-eat".
During my trip I spent most of my time eating Okonomiyaki. I was a bit tight on time, so found a spot near my hotel to try Hiroshima Tsukemen.
Karakaratei has a few branches around the city, and is a pretty standard Hiroshima Tsukemen bowl.
Quite frankly this was underwhelming. Noodles tasted like they were from the supermarket, the toppings were pretty light, and the sauce was like spicy water. The saving grace is that they are open until 3am. I'm glad I tried it to get a feel for the local style, but if you are in Hiroshima I recommend exploring other shops.
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