Jiggae-Soba at Mitaka Chige Club in Tokyo

Some parts of the Mitaka Chige Club’s name obviously ring true. It is one of many restaurants and bars clustered around the north exit of Mitaka Station. Jiggae (often written “chige” in Japanese katakana), a shockingly red Korean soup with a Subscribe to Base, takes up an essential part of the main menu.

The “club” aspect is evident in the palpable feeling that this whole experience is carried by a small group. Passionate people on both sides of the bar are the lifeblood of the Mitaka Chige Club.

A small television blares in the background, competing with the chef’s (admittedly ad-supported) personal Spotify playlist. Regulars call out their orders from their seats without too many pleasantries or conciliatory gestures. Outdoor smoking breaks, enjoyed by everyone in the restaurant, create a soothing scent of evening air and fresh cigarettes as sliding doors open and close. Chef Hiroshi Ishioka has designed this space for be People who reflect his values ​​on a simple board with special offers.

Long before lunchtime, friendly fishmongers who supply the seafood for jiggae soup and raw shrimp kimchi will occasionally drop off something exciting, just for fun: a piece of tuna they’re particularly proud of, a round of squid or octopus. When unique items are delivered, they become a limited-edition kimchi.

By focusing on the neighborhood clientele, Chef Ishioka has the creative freedom to experiment. He serves humble and original food. Like a mother’s home cooking, he doesn’t hide his personal preferences and habits behind a spotless countertop or elaborate plate choice. This freedom for creativity has resulted in a dish that is unlike anything served elsewhere. According to Chef Ishioka, his Soba is the first and only one of its kind.

The cornerstone of the Mitaka Chige Club is its completely unique “Jiggae soba.“The element of surprise was the main focus of the creation. The soba are served cold and dipped in an authentic-tasting Korean jiggae soup, which is served piping hot.

Mitaka Chige Club’s clever combination combines soba noodles – an element that has represented this area for centuries – with modern flavors. Balance is key – earthy, cold soba contrasts with the melting taste of jiggae. It’s addictive, light and filling at the same time, and a testament to trends and tradition.

A history of cultural overlap with Korea has always been subtly present in Japanese dishes, such as Buta Kimchistir-fried pork and kimchi, but recently the Korean food trend has exploded. Traditionally, jiggae is a Korean dish served in a piping hot earthenware bowl with a side of rice. At Mitaka Chige Club, it’s served with chilled buckwheat soba noodles, a local favorite.

Mitaka is perhaps best known for its proximity to Tokyo’s most desirable address, the Kichijoji district, and the Ghibli Art Museum. However, Mitaka also borders the Jindaiji district of the neighboring city of Chofu. Jindaiji is Tokyo’s second oldest temple, and the district around it boasts a 400-year history of soba noodles, dating back to the Edo period.

Jindaiji’s fantastic old architecture includes watermills that were once used to grind the buckwheat for noodle making. The grinding and wheat-to-buckwheat ratio vary depending on the supplier, creating an impressive range of noodles under the same name. Restaurants have a wide selection of locally produced soba, and many even take the opportunity to make their own.

Mitaka Chige Club is one such restaurant. Just above the logo, the shop proudly displays its commitment to the homemade, fresh soba noodles it prepares in batches. Upon order, a giant mechanism presses dull brown, raw soba noodles directly into a pot of boiling water. The extruder’s pristine metal gleams like a crown jewel among the velvet of a palace, underscoring its importance against Mitaka Chige Club’s rustic wood interior.

The chef swings the giant arm around and raw soba noodles whir as they roll out of the extruder toward the boiling water below. Their color reveals the high proportion of coarsely ground buckwheat used in these noodles, which helps them withstand the simmering soup and maintain a firm texture.

Chef Ishioka cuts them to the right length so they fall straight into the pot without splashing. It seems as though not a second passes before he scoops them out and pours them into a cooler of ice cubes, cools the noodles with water from the tap, and gives them a vigorous shake with deft fingertips. It’s all a very hands-on, human process, perfectly in view of the diners sitting at the counter.

The noodles are ready long before the jiggae starts bubbling, giving them plenty of time to cool and set. While we wait, the chef turns his back to us and concentrates on preparing dinner, occasionally calling out bits of the history of the Mitaka Chige Club over his shoulder.

“I’m not the owner or anything, but yes, the Jiggae Soba was my idea. We just opened… about a year and a half ago,” he pauses to chop up a chicken thigh that Tataki cheese“You know, people do that with Korean food all the time.” He gestures vaguely, alluding to the whole “noodles in spicy soup” thing, “But it’s always ramen or something like that. Chuuka is the same thing – Chinese food and Japanese food together. I thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to do something like that, but with soba?”

“Also,” he continued, “spicy food is a trend right now. Since Japanese people like spicy food more and more, I wanted to come up with a new idea for spicy food. I wanted to shock people. We also have other things, like boss (a Korean dish of steamed pork served with salty sauce, kimchi and salad) and fried chicken and kimchi. We make all the kimchi ourselves.” Despite the obvious pride that Chef Ishioka has in his craft – everything is manufactured in-house.

The mysterious atmosphere created by the opaque greenery, the sparse clientele, and the quiet, focused work of chef Ishioka can make it hard to enter the place. Abandoned bicycles, a slightly moldy awning mural, and a randomly handwritten “Open” sign on the outside make the restaurant look both like a very lived-in place and one that hasn’t been lived in for ages. But while nothing about the place is immediately inviting, Mitaka Chige Club still has a magnetic pull.

At night, the store’s facade looks like something out of a Ghibli film. The glowing interior, shifting shadows within, and ivy-covered facade give the creeping feeling that something magical is happening inside. Indeed, the clatter of a traditional sliding door sets off a wave of laughter and spicy aromas. The chef is in a good mood and steps out for a cigarette. A few customers, clearly enjoying their after-work drinks, are chatting, which echoes through the hard wooden interior. Chef Ishioka may not say much, but actions speak louder than words. He likes what he likes, he’s picky about his noodles, and he’s here to cook, serve, and invent for the club. All the better when the diners inside are as excited about the food as he is.

Personal touches make the space special. Between school trophies, photos and event posters, it’s clear that the restaurant is an important community organ. Signs for a free market at the end of the month remind us all that this place was built by and for the people there; that by eating here, we are all part of the club, without the need for membership cards.

Published on 01 July 2024

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