A Taste of Tokyo

One way to save money in Japan is to eat at noodle stalls. Here in the Southland, the Mishima chain serves those same noodle dishes--and a lot more.

At the Studio City branch, adorned with Japanese lacquered pottery set in wall niches, you sit either on wood slat chairs or more comfortable banquettes. You might start with boiled soybeans (edamame), which you pop out of the pods and into your mouth, or goma ae, snappy green beans covered with sesame seeds.

There’s also shrimp or vegetable tempura, and a mixed tempura that includes nori seaweed. The shrimp are fresh, and the batter, although not quite as crisp and light as you might hope, is still above average.

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The major part of the menu is noodles. Udon, like thick spaghetti, is naturally bland and needs a hearty topping to stand up to the fish broth and rubbery fish cakes that accompany all hot noodles. The two best toppings are tori toji (chicken and eggs) and niku toji (beef and eggs).

Also good is nabeyaki udon, where the noodles are served with shrimp tempura, shiitake mushrooms, spinach, cooked chicken and egg.

Soba is a different matter. These buckwheat noodles, more flavorful than udon, are delicious hot or cold with milder toppings. I like cold soba plain (zaru soba), with a soy dipping sauce, green onions and just a touch of wasabi.

Hot soba is good kitsune-style, with a big wad of fried tofu. But, somehow, soba is less appealing as a companion to meat.

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Among the non-noodle offerings is a delicious roasted eggplant dish called misoyaki: two long pieces of Japanese eggplant smothered in a gravy of ground beef marinated in spicy miso paste. From the grill comes fine, firm black cod, served with mashed sweet potatoes, broccoli and roasted red peppers.

I didn’t care for my donburi rice bowl topped with chicken and eggs, because of the annoying flavors of fish stock and fish cakes in the rice. That’s not how donburi is usually served in Japan. But you can get a good spicy tuna roll and inari sushi, a Japanese kid’s snack of fried tofu stuffed with sushi rice.

The big surprise at Mishima is dessert. You can get a terrific chocolate mousse under the French name, griotte coco. Even better is a cocoa-dusted pyramid filled with ethereally light chocolate hazelnut ganache.

I wonder how this pyramid would taste at a stall in Tokyo.

BE THERE

Mishima, 12265 Ventura Blvd., Studio City. Open 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. daily. Beer and wine. Parking in rear. American Express, MasterCard and Visa. Dinner for two, $19-$34. Suggested dishes: goma ae, $3; shrimp and vegetable tempura, $6.50; zaru soba, $4.95; tori toji udon, $6.95; pyramid, $4.50. Call (818) 506-8861.