Black Sesame, Tomato & Parmesan Dan Dan Noodles Review / Tokyo DisneySea Volcania Restaurant

“Volcania Restaurant” is the only Chinese restaurant at Tokyo DisneySea. This restaurant offers “Black Sesame, Tomato & Parmesan Dan Dan Noodles” as a fall/winter limited menu. When it gets cold, you naturally want to warm yourself up with hot or spicy food, don’t you? But looking at the name, many people probably can’t imagine the taste — “Tomato and cheese in dan dan noodles?” Some people may also wonder, “Since it’s dan dan noodles, how spicy is it?” In this article, I’ll thoroughly review this “Black Sesame, Tomato & Parmesan Dan Dan Noodles.”

Basic info on Black Sesame, Tomato & Parmesan Dan Dan Noodles

The “Black Sesame, Tomato & Parmesan Dan Dan Noodles” is fairly affordable at 1,280 yen for the single item. If you want a heartier meal, the Volcania Set might be a good choice. For an additional 900 yen, you get a side dish, dessert, and drink, making it feel like an even better deal.

Detailed report on the Black Sesame, Tomato & Parmesan Dan Dan Noodles

An unprecedented, novel take on dan dan noodles

I doubt anyone can imagine the flavor just from the name “Black Sesame, Tomato & Parmesan Dan Dan Noodles.” Black sesame with dan dan noodles is a fairly common pairing, but tomato and cheese show right off the bat that this menu is something novel.

Volcania Restaurant is a buffeteria-service restaurant, so when you order at the counter you can watch them prepare your dish. Watching them, first noodles and soup go into the bowl. Then bean sprouts and cabbage are added on top, followed by something like tomato-based meat sauce. Parmesan cheese is sprinkled lightly over it, and finally chili oil is drizzled around in a circle. The “meat sauce” looked more like tomato than meat. At this stage, I really couldn’t picture the flavor at all.

The look — pitch-black soup with red meat sauce — is striking. It was as if magma were erupting from Mount Prometheus. In the next section, I’ll write about my actual impressions after eating it!

Now I taste it! A brilliantly fused, top-class dan dan noodles!

From here, this is my actual tasting report. First, a sip of the soup… The soup itself is thin and silky, with a soy-sauce base carrying the aroma of black sesame. The black sesame doesn’t assert itself too strongly; the soy-sauce base is more dominant, making it a soup that anyone should be able to enjoy.

Next, I tried the tomato-based meat sauce by itself. My gut reaction at the first bite: “meat sauce.” There was none of the meat-miso flavor typical of dan dan noodles — instead it tasted like Western-style meat sauce. At this point I was thinking, “What happens when you mix Chinese soup with Western-style meat sauce?!” Tasting each one on its own gave me no idea what the combined flavor would be.

Next, I mixed the soup and the tomato-based meat sauce together and tried it — the flavor came out like Chinese and Western styles averaged together. It looks like a combination that shouldn’t work, but the tartness of the tomato and the saltiness and mild heat of the soup were surprisingly compatible. The noodles were smooth and easy to slurp, and I found myself eating more and more.

And don’t forget the Parmesan cheese. Because it’s in big flakes, the cheese flavor really comes through once it’s in your mouth. Eating it together with the soup and tomato-based meat sauce adds a mellowness that makes it even more delicious. The amount isn’t huge, so as you eat there are little flavor changes throughout, making it enjoyable.

The name was novel, and so was the content — a fresh approach unlike anything seen in traditional dan dan noodles. Black sesame, tomato, and Parmesan cheese — three different food cultures fused beautifully into a flavor I’d never experienced, and the meal was a fun one.

A perfectly manageable level of spice

As for the “spiciness” that’s the biggest characteristic of dan dan noodles, this dish is also adjusted to a very approachable level. Chili oil is drizzled on top, but its heat is mild — gentle enough that even people who don’t like spicy food can eat it without worry.

That said, fans of spicy food might find it lacking. In that case, I recommend adding “Spicy Harissa Sauce” or “Black Mala Sauce” on top. Adding these brings in a sharp heat and should give you an even greater sense of satisfaction.

A warming menu, perfect for a cold day

As a warming menu perfect for a cold day, this dan dan noodles is highly recommended. It’s so tasty that you keep sipping the soup, warming you from the inside out. Winter at Disney can be bitterly cold, so let this dan dan noodles give your body and mind a moment to relax.

Summary

So, what did you think? “Black Sesame, Tomato & Parmesan Dan Dan Noodles” at Volcania Restaurant in Tokyo DisneySea is a novel and very delicious dish that goes beyond the conventional concept of dan dan noodles. The spice level — a common concern — is mild, so it’s a nice point that even people who aren’t good with heat can eat it with peace of mind. If you do find it not spicy enough, you can adjust by adding extra spicy sauces, so I think this is a menu that a wide range of people can enjoy.

It’s also a warm dish perfect for a cold day, so if you’re curious, please give it a try.