An Explosion of Ramen Flavor in Sumita

Continuing our exploration of local eateries in the Kesen area I thought it prudent to talk about a local ramen shop, Menta located in Sumita. For nearly twenty years this shop has been serving steaming hot bowls of noodles featuring another Kesen food staple; Kesen miso. This locally-made miso is produced by the family owned Yagisawa Soy Sauce Company which has its roots in the Rikuzentakata area since 1807. The rich and well balanced miso makes for a wonderful flavor profile when added to the excellent Menta soup stock and thick tanmen noodles.

Within a few short years of opening, Menta had established itself a solid reputation as a great place to get a hearty meal. During the lunch hour in particular the restaurant was often filled with Kesen locals as well as people traveling though the area for work or sightseeing. Then, disaster struck in March 2011, when the huge Great East Earthquake and subsequent tsunami reaching 17 meters leveled the main part of Rikuzentakata, washing away homes and businesses alike; including the Yagisawa Soy Sauce Factory. The Menta owner and chef who also hails from Rikuzentakata suddenly found himself dealing with both the loss of his home and supplier of his signature ingredient. Undeterred, he vowed to continue his business, rationing his stock of Kesen miso while adding other ramen to his menu to fill in the gaps, and sleeping in his storeroom in the evenings until more stable accommodations could be arranged.

Menta quickly became a place of nostalgia for locals, and a welcome respite for the many volunteers NPO staff and reconstruction workers pouring in from all over Japan. In Rikuzentakata too, the family of the Yagisawa Soy Sauce Company vowed to rebuild. Staff was kept on, land on higher ground was sourced and the factory rebuilt thanks to generous crowd-funding from all over Japan. Perhaps most miraculously, samples of the family’s original bacterial strains for soy sauce and miso were located in a nearby lab which had collected them years earlier for research purposes, so it was possible to grow and recreate the original flavor profile of their products.

So without hesitation I heartily recommend you make the visit to Sumita to enjoy some delicious Menta ramen and support to hard-working local businesses. Both the Kesen miso tanmen (topped with lots of sautéed vegetables) and the Kesen ‘bakufu’ miso tanmen (topped with vegetables and a spicy sauce with tofu) are highly recommended, but there is also to selection of tonkotsu (pork broth) and shoyu (soy sauce) based ramen as well.

Menta is open daily from 11:30am to 2:30pm for lunch, and from 5:30 to 8:00 for dinner. It’s located on highway 107/340, just past the main part of the Setamai area of Sumita.