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Oretachi no Napolitan [Closed]

Japan's own spaghetti dish

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Last updated: Nov 15, 2020

Japan has incorporated many cuisines into its own over the years, from Portuguese to French to Indian. Some Japanese people are even surprised when they find out that tempura and croquettes and curry weren't always Japanese staples. Another example of this is napolitan, a spaghetti dish with tomato sauce, inspired by Italian cuisine but that is very distinctly Japanese.

Recently, 'true' napolitan has seen a decline, but some specialized restaurants still exist. One of these can be found just beyond the covered shopping arcade, Sun Mall, not far from Iroha Yokocho. Oretachi no Napolitan isn't the most obvious place – you have to take some stairs down to basement level to get to it – but their sign is in clear view.

One very Japanese touch is the ordering system, which is similar to some ramen/soba places – you pay for a ticket at a vending machine outside then take the ticket in to the staff. Helpfully, most of the main items on the machine have pictures above the buttons, which makes it much more straightforward. Most normal menu items come in three sizes – small, medium and large – and it costs the same amount for each. Some are available as take-out. The basic napolitan, which you can add toppings to such as egg, cheese or fried prawns for a few more yen, also comes in supersize portions, the largest being a mountain of spaghetti appropriately called the “Mt. Fuji”. That's a whopping 1.5 kilograms of spaghetti! There's also a Sendai special with a topping of gyutan stew, but it's only available in small or medium. For anyone who doesn't feel like napolitan, there are other options, like spaghetti in a creamy sauce or omlet-rice. Salads, ice-cream and drinks are also available to go with your meal.

Inside the shop is a mixture of tables and counter seats. Lone customers are directed towards the counter, which has a decent view of the kitchen (another feature borrowed from ramen restaurants). In front of my seat was a giant spoon, which I thought was for decoration until I saw it being used to stir the spaghetti! The counter also gives an okay view of the TV. Judging by the channel, many of the restaurant's customers must be locals.

After being seated, you'll be given water, which you can top up from the jug near your seat. Also within arm's reach are cutlery (spoons and forks – you have to ask for chopsticks), Tabasco and parmesan. The latter two go really well with napolitan, and you can add as much or as little as you like. Your order won't take long so you can soon start digging in.

The basic napolitan, with or without toppings, is hot, filling, comfort food. It might not look like much, but it contains a lot of flavor. You can't go wrong (unless you're vegetarian, in which case I'm afraid they put bits of meat in it). The Sendai special is an interesting mixture of stew and napolitan sauce, but it just about works. The gyutan is lovely and tender.

For delicious and hearty comfort food with a Sendai touch, Oretachi no Napolitan has a menu full of choice. It's part of Japan's modern gastronomic tradition.

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Justin Velgus 9 years ago
Looks yummy! Oh, same price for small or large? I know what's for dinner this weekend!

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