TexturA in Marunochi, Tokyo

0 Reviews

TexturA

When people write about the sheer number of ramen shops in Japan (over 50,000) or even just Tokyo (over 6000) they are often citing data from Tabelog, Japan’s favorite restaurant commentary site. When you narrow the search down to ramen, things can get tricky. Is TexturA a Chinese restaurant or a Spanish restaurant? They have tantanmen on the menu, so should it be considered a ramen shop? Does it even matter what we label a shop? Is this Japanese-style tantanmen a watered-down Chinese dandanmien? Too many rhetorical questions?

TexturA is actually two restaurants in one. You have a high-end gourmet spot and what they dub a high-casual restaurant. Both are some kind of fusion of Chinese and Spanish cuisine. The tasting menu at the former will set you back 11,000 yen, while the casual restaurant has the potential to be a lot less with the a la carte options. A lunch plate is only 1650 yen. Let’s go with that.

Outdoor seating along the main Marunochi shopping street is a major bonus. Arrive early, snag a seat, and do some people-watching. You’re just across the street from the Peninsula Hotel, so those people may include a celebrity or two.

The lunch plate options were plentiful, but I had my eyes set on the tantanmen. The squid ink butter rice sounded nice though.

Tantanmen and some side snacks. It was fine, a creamy deal with very little spice. I prefer my tantanmen to be more of a heated slap in the face, but a lack of spice is expected in Tokyo. The sides were nice. A few spiced nuts and some ko shui ji (口水鸡) chicken.

The outdoor seating was fantastic. I could have easily fallen asleep on the plush cushions. A post-carb nap. It was a blazing summer day, so I have a feeling the outdoor seats are a hot commodity only on cooler days.

Over-the-top official site here.

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