To Blow Hot And Cold...

My insatiable cravings often revolve around all things savoury and spicy and last weekend was no exception as I dragged my other half to Roppongi Hills for some dan-dan noodles at Tian Yi Bao. Fragrant from an abundance of black sesame and a pungent spice mix, my version of this well-loved Chinese noodle came cold with shrimps as the chef grudgingly obliged my bizarre request to leave out the minced pork;) My other half not being able to stomach the idea of cold spicy noodles, went instead for the regular hot serving. His gripe though was that the chef got a little trigger happy with the usual suspect in many a Chinese owned restaurant, the MSG, and the dish tasted as though it was vying for a spot in an advertising campaign for Maggi seasoning. My grouse, on the other hand, was that the fieriness was too pared down for my seasoned tastebuds.

To put it succinctly, though Tian Yi Bao did not win itself a berth on our compilation of Tokyo's great eats, it sure scored some brownie points for its flexibility in a country of conformists.

Tian Yi Bao
Address: 6-10-1 Roppongi, 1F Roppongi Hills Hillside, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan Telephone: 03-5772-5466
Michelin: None