Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2010

Photo by Keigo Moriyama

There’s not a whole lot to the menu at Yamaneko-ken. This cozy little shop just outside Gakugei-Daigaku station specializes in jaja men, a local Morioka variant on the Chinese za jiang mein. The dish, extremely rare outside its home prefecture, is simple and to the point: a pile of long, flat noodles topped with cucumber, negi, grated shoga and a generous dollop of niku-miso. Add raiyu and garlic to taste, then mix. The process is fairly self-explanatory, but should you forget, each table has a set of handy cartoon instructions featuring the restaurant’s friendly feline mascot.

The only thing diners at Yamaneko-ken have to decide is portion size: servings range from small (¥600) to cho-tokumori (¥1,000). We ordered the medium (¥700), which we’re told is the average one-person serving. Unlike ramen, jajamen is cooked fresh with each order, so it takes about ten minutes for the food to arrive. We decided to munch on a plate of tsukemono (¥280) while we waited, and the crisp, refreshing veggies were just the thing to take the edge off our hunger.

The noodles arrived piping hot and accompanied by a jar of niku-miso, in case the large scoop currently adorning our plates wasn’t doing the trick. Due mainly to the thick miso paste, Morioka jajamen has a distinctly salty flavor, though we’re told that those who’ve acquired the taste become lifelong devotees. With lots of fresh grated ginger to cut the saltiness, we found the dish to be pretty darn addictive—filling without being heavy.

The final touch is the traditional chin-tan-tan (¥100), Morioka’s take on sobayu. When only a few noodles are left in the bowl, crack an egg on top and mix well; the staff will add broth and another dollop of miso, leaving you with a savory finisher that’s something like egg-drop soup. By the time we finished, we were well and truly satisfied—and for less than ¥1,000.