珉珉 (Minmin in Sumida-ku, Tokyo)

0 Reviews

珉珉

The Pacomen at Minmin is a sight to behold. Shoyu ramen topped with a massive deep-fried pork cutlet and a mini mountain of chopped green onion. It’s oily as all hell, probably not allowed by any kind of health coach, and I want it again.

The shop itself is out in Sumida-ku. You might know the area as the home of the 634 meter Tokyo Sky Tree, and not much else.

The menu has a range of ramen choices, but you came here for the paco.

Paco is a kind of Chinese breaded and fried pork dish. Páigǔ (排骨) gets the Japanese katakana treatment and becomes paco (パーコ).

Crunchy fried pork on top of a strong shoyu ramen. I’m no Tokyo local, but this just feels like a Sumida-ku or Adachi-ku kind of ramen. These districts on the east side of Tokyo tend to be a bit rougher. As soon as you cross the Sumidagawa river the whole atmosphere of Tokyo changes. The food matches the scene, with some of the most slept-on comfort food to be found tucked away in unassuming neighborhoods.

I’ve had pacomen in the past, and it has always been horrible. Oily fried pork in oily ramen, and if it isn’t tender the whole thing is a mess to try and eat. Here at Minmin it was tender and flavorful. I’m not going to lie, the whole thing was very oily. Maybe don’t drink too much of the soup.

The outdoor patio has the potential for some nice chilling out with a beer. I was riding my bicycle so I abstained.

In the hot summer months, I love riding my bicycle around Tokyo. It’s hot as heck but as long as you are moving it feels great.

I spent the rest of the day cycling around Sumida and its namesake river, the Sumidagawa. This kid was super happy to show me all the goby he had caught that afternoon. Locals fish up these little fish and give them the tempura treatment at home. Nice beer snack (for papa).

Although the summers in Japan are brutally hot, people find ways to enjoy themselves. The parks next to the water are always a few degrees cooler.

Speaking of cooler, I tried the new Omnipollos Tokyo craft beer spot. Omnipolllo makes some bonkers brews, and here they are pairing the beers with a frozen slushy head. I think this light ale had a yuzu citrus slush on top.

Good stuff, though a bit on the pricey side. It’ll cost you about $50 for a couple of beers.

Speaking of rivers and staying cool, I often take a boat around these rivers. If you want to cruise the waterways of Tokyo (or Enoshima, Yamanakako, Yokohama, Numazu) you can join my Tokyo Bay Meetup group:

https://www.meetup.com/tokyo-bay-boats/

Still reading? Did you know that I released a ramen cookbook? It’s available wherever fine cookbooks are sold, aka Amazon. Can’t wait to see what recipes you come up with!

https://amzn.to/38hVKp6

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