As the calculating wind penetrates through winter’s harshest months, we desperately begin to crave warmth, but more importantly―comfort food. We have uncovered the ideal place to unfreeze as well as enjoy food: Hira Takumi (ひら匠).

Located at the far end of Hiroo street, this restaurant enclosed by wooden pillars will remind you of classic family home dining inside a comfortable tatami room. As you walk in, you can order your meal―vending machine style. All of the prices are very reasonable, ranging from 600 yen to 1,000 yen for very large portions. This restaurant fuses Japanese and Chinese cuisine to produce endless varieties of ramen, stir fried rice, mabo nasu, oyakodon, and more.

If you’re in the mood to eat rice, then we highly suggest the chahan―not only for the satisfying taste but to also admire the skilled chefs as they quickly fry the rice over towering orange flames. Light egg-drop soup accompanies the steaming plate of the stir fried rice.

If you ever have trouble choosing, we recommend the restaurant’s most vintage dish, the tan-tan men (with the white sesame, of course). Tan-tan men, more commonly known as dan-dan noodles, is a popular Sichuan gourmet dish. It is easily distinguished from ramen because of its spicier-soup base, stocked with preserved vegetables and served over minced pork, zasai, scallions, and Sichuan pepper. Hira Takumi has reduced the spiciness of the noodles to accommodate the taste buds of the Japanese–which is good, as you don’t need to chase each sip with gallons of water.

If the spiciness of the tan-tan men is overwhelming, there are other safer options: such as the standard shio ramen, miso ramen, and gyoza which are also very tasty. Although Hira Takumi is not what you would call elegant, we highly recommend this restaurant to all ramen venturers out there!