01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Tucked into a Nakano backstreet, Shimiru serves oden with a gentle flavour and a satisfying depth of savouriness. Daikon absorbs the broth all the way to its tender centre, releasing it as you cut in with your chopsticks. Alongside familiar choices such as daikon, egg and thick fried tofu, the selection includes kuruma-fu, mochi kinchaku and onion-fritter fish cake, all ready to soak up plenty of dashi.
The drinks list includes a good range of sake and shochu chosen to pair with oden. One distinctive option is dashi-wari: sake or shochu mixed with the oden broth. Its warmth and fragrant savouriness unfold gradually, making it an easy drink to linger over. For a bite between mouthfuls, try thoughtful small plates such as dadacha beans sent directly from Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, or kazunoko cheese.
The compact restaurant has a few counter seats and 4 tables seating 2. It is a comfortable size for dropping in alone after work or sharing a drink with friends. Open from Monday to Thursday in the evening, Shimiru is a place to seek out on a weekday night when hot oden and a warm dashi-wari sound particularly appealing.
