"Eggs and bacon" from "Spaghetti Nagai" in Yotsuya"Eggs and bacon" from "Spaghetti Nagai" in Yotsuya

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If you don't eat this, your life will be ruined.

2024.6.13

Introducing the top 3 pasta restaurants in Tokyo: Lodge Akaishi, Hungry Tiger, and Spaghetti Nagai

Goemon, Hole in the Wall, Spajiro,DoNA, Saizeriya, Romespa Balboa, Mugigoya, Hashiya……These are different from the so-called Italian pasta, and can be called Japanese spaghetti. I have tried many places, and here I will introduce three carefully selected places.





I'll be reviewing the mentaiko spaghetti from Lodge Akaishi, the pescatore & basilico from Hungry Tiger, and the egg and bacon from Spaghetti Nagai.

 

 

➡Click here to go to "The classic Capuchino dish "Tomato and Garlic Spaghetti" is also a must-try"

 




The truly bottomless store "Lodge Akaishi"
Mentaiko spaghetti is absolutely delicious!




Lodge Akaishi Mentaiko Spaghetti Lodge Akaishi Mentaiko Spaghetti



Among them, the one that shines brightly is, of course, Lodge Akaishi in Asakusa. I have no choice but to choose this as my top pick, following the Neapolitan that I introduced before. Actually, I want to keep it a secret because it gets crowded.

 


When I first tried the "Mentaiko Spaghetti" at this restaurant, I was amazed at how delicious it was. I thought this was the height of Japaneseness. I repeat, it was insanely delicious. It was something that all restaurants that make Japanese spaghetti should learn from.


The ingredients are very simple. Thinly sliced ​​onions and green peppers, add mentaiko, and add butter and soy sauce for flavor. All you have to do is stir fry it and top it with chopped seaweed and raw mentaiko. It's a really easy dish that you can make at home.


However, I can assure you that you will never be able to replicate this flavor! The spaghetti has a firm core. The onions and bell peppers are extremely well-seasoned. The cutting and quantity are just right. In addition, the amount of fried mentaiko and the spoonfuls of butter and soy sauce are probably just right. Everything is in a golden ratio. The mentaiko clings to the noodles in the best way possible. This is a dish that could easily be considered vulgar, but it even feels elegant.

 

I wonder if it's the same state of mind as Dr. Faust, who shouted "You're beautiful!" instead of "Time, stop, you're delicious!" (Maybe a bit of an exaggeration? lol). Anyway, when you come to this restaurant, you have to eat both, thinking of them as a specialty on par with Neapolitan. Lodge Akaishi is truly a restaurant with no end in sight.



Lodge Akaishi exterior Lodge Akaishi exterior

Lodge Akaishi
Asakusa, Taito-ku, Tokyo3-8-4
TEL 03-3875-1688
Opening hours: 9 : 00~24 : 00
Closed: Monday
Neapolitan Spaghetti 950Yen
Mentaiko spaghetti   1200Yen


Everyone in the Toranomon area knows it
"Hungry Tiger" is definitely a famous restaurant


Toranomon Hungry Tiger Pescatore & Basilico Toranomon Hungry Tiger Pescatore & Basilico


For lunch, it is a spaghetti specialty restaurant, and for dinner, it has a wide variety of menu items and serves authentic Italian food. It is a famous restaurant that is known to everyone in the Toranomon area of ​​Minato Ward. It is extremely crowded during the day. It is fully booked for dinner as well.

 


The two most popular spaghetti dishes are "Daniel" and "Pescatore & Basilico". Most customers order Daniel, and the rest order Pescatore & Basilico or Vongole & Basilico.

 

This super popular Daniel is like a carbonara, but it's quite different. It's filled with ham, bacon, mushrooms, onions, lots of eggs, and a lot of garlic. It's cooked more thoroughly than a carbonara, and the eggs are fluffy and scrambled. So it should be called Japanese.

 


I will introduce egg dishes from another store, so I will report on the Pescatore & Basilico.

 

Since it is a pescatore, the ingredients are squid, small shrimp, mushrooms, and basil (perilla). First of all, the amount of the regular portion is overwhelming. However, looking around the restaurant, everyone is eating medium or large portions with gusto, probably because the restaurant encourages it (!). Especially the older guys. Are you guys sports-oriented students? How much do you eat! I think (lol).

 


Now, the pescatore is sprinkled with a lot of chopped shiso leaves. I put one in my mouth. Oh, this is definitely delicious. The ingredients are very small and seem to be mixed in with the pasta, but the flavor is strong.

 

The perilla leaves are doing a great job. First of all, the way the oil is evenly coated on the noodles makes it look delicious. That's what a properly made dish should look like. Even if it's not a high-end trattoria, delicious food is delicious.

 


The spaghetti is made by Vermicelli, a company specially ordered by our store.2-1It's quite thick, about a millimeter. It's chewy and when you bite into it, it breaks into pieces, which is also really nice.

 

In Italy, cheese is not usually put on pescatore. But this is Japan, and it's shiso instead of basil. You can also add some cheap cheese and soy sauce to change the flavor. It's quite interesting.

 

Next time I'd like to try a tomato sauce version. The waiter is cheerful and bright, and the employees are friendly with each other. It's a great restaurant with a great atmosphere that makes you want to come back after a while.



Hungry Tiger exterior, Toranomon Hungry Tiger exterior, Toranomon

Hungry Tiger
Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo1-11-12
TEL 03-3591-7081
Business hours: 11:30~14:45,17:30~22:15 Saturday:11:30~19:30
Regular holiday: Sundays and public holidays
Pescatore and Basilico 1250Yen
ダ ニ エ ル 1050Yen




Yotsuya "Spaghetti Nagai"
Eggs and bacon that you'll never tire of



Spaghetti long with eggs and bacon Spaghetti long with eggs and bacon

It's located on Shinmichi Street in Yotsuya. It's easy to get to, so I often go there. I think it's a cut above the other "Hashiya" restaurants (the original one is closed). The owner, Mr. Nagai, trained there before going independent.

 

Actually, I first learned about this place in a magazine last year. The reason being, a certain boss who is risking his life to earn a living praised this restaurant's "eggs and bacon," and I ended up choosing this as my only choice for a year without even looking back.60Apparently he eats it that many times! That's amazing.

 


The restaurant is run by just two people: Mr. Nagai, who is a true craftsman, and his subordinate (who changes depending on the day). What you notice right away is how clean the restaurant is. Whenever I come, it's sparkling clean all over. This is important (many pasta specialty restaurants are quite dirty. I hope they learn from this).

 

So, this is "Eggs and Bacon". It's similar to Hungry Tiger's "Daniel", but this one has less garlic and is lighter. Fry the bacon in garlic oil, throw in the noodles, and finally mix it with beaten eggs with dashi soy sauce.

 



Sometimes the beaten eggs are quite heated and fluffy, and sometimes they become watery and soupy like pasta. It's hard to say that the end result is always the same, but the dashi soy sauce and black pepper are effective, and it's delicious no matter what state it's in. It's a taste that you never get tired of. The noodles are also quite al dente. You can also change the flavor by adding powdered cheese and Tabasco halfway through.

 

I tried other dishes too. The "Eggplant, Bacon, Asparagus, and Shimeji" was okay. I think it would be better if each ingredient was fried more crisply. Frying means removing moisture. It's actually much better to deep fry the ingredients.

 


However, the two popular dishes, "Cod roe and squid" and "Meat sauce and natto," are not fried but simply mixed together (the latter is simply placed on top of the noodles), so I don't recommend them (although looking at the reviews, some people are saying it's delicious).

 

In fact, many of the hashiya-style dishes are just seasoned like this. I think spaghetti doesn't taste good unless it's covered in hot oil. Even if they follow the hashiya style, I would like them to break that rule.

 

I've never been there for lunch, but it's usually empty in the evenings, so it's a place worth checking out.




Spaghetti Nagai Store Spaghetti Nagai Store

Long Spaghetti
Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo1-8 Nakagawa Building 2F
TEL 03-3350-0806
11:30~20:00
Closed: Sunday
eggs and bacon 1300Yen
Eggplant, bacon, asparagus, shimeji mushrooms 1400Yen



What does "If you don't eat this, your life is ruined" mean?
When he hears something delicious, he rushes east and west to eat it all. Rumor has it that he might be the Brillat-Savarin of Reiwa, or even the return of Furukawa Roppa. Bassey is an editor with over 40 years of food-loving experience. A heart-wrenching gourmet essay.

 

 




Author profile

 

Bassey is a foodie who has been eating around for over 40 years. In addition to Japan, he regularly goes to Hong Kong to eat Chinese food at his own expense, and also travels to Taiwan, Singapore, Bangkok, and Seoul for delicious food. During his time as the editor-in-chief of a travel magazine, he visited many Michelin-rated restaurants around the world, especially in Europe, and later on in the World's Best 50 restaurants. We want everyone who loves food to try ``Crab Miso Bean Paste Noodles'' from ``Tenkorou'' (Hong Kong). Actually, I like the Chinese food at this restaurant the best in the world. Another example of the best Western food is "El Seger de Can Roca" from Girona, Spain, which was ranked number one on the World's Best 50 list. Ah, I want to go there again.

 



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