Spicy chilled ramen Image: Courtesy of Ramen Tatsu-Ya

This summer I’m looking forward to cooling off with ramen. Yes, you read correctly. Not, however, with traditional hot ramen but rather a version from Ramen Tatsu-Ya that is “hot” in a different way. Their seasonal special spicy chilled ramen, available now through the end of August, derives its palliative chilly properties via the presence of cold wheat noodles dressed in mouth-tingling chile oil and karashi mustard—and the absence of broth. Purists may sniff at a liquidless ramen, but I didn’t. Especially after eating it, because that karashi mustard did wonders for unclogging my nasal passages.

Adorning the bed of silky carbohydrate threads, a generous scoop of peppery pirikara ground pork, ajitama (soft-boiled egg), snappy sticks of cucumber and crisp citrus soy dressing. These elements balanced the bold spice with fruit and fatty flavors as well as added some pleasant textural variations.

Should you be tempted to slurp this dish on the fly, be aware that Ramen Tatsu-Ya does not offer the spicy chilled ramen as takeout. It’s hardly a burden to enjoy your cold noodles in-house given the restaurant’s equally chill (get it?) dining with light wooden accents and communal seating. And as you depart, satiated and refreshed, perhaps the world’s largest maneki-neko is on hand to wave you goodbye.