A chill gale of change is gusting through the sumo world, all the way from Central Asia. The demise of the Takanohana era does not, of course, mean we will stop eating chanko nabe. However, in honor of the incipient arrival of the Asashoryu dynasty, we felt impelled to set off in search of Shilingol, Tokyo's first and only authentic Mongolian restaurant.
Getting there is a good deal easier than, say, crossing the Gobi to Huhehot. Even so, it still requires plenty of time, planning and map-reading skills. First you must journey up to Sugamo, on the northernmost reaches of the Yamanote Line, and from there hike through the empty residential back streets of Sengoku. A wooden sign with the name inscribed in Mongolian script lets you know that you have arrived.
Like so many other pioneering ethnic restaurants that have, over the years, introduced the foods of their respective nations here, Shilingol is more than just a place for eating: It acts as an unofficial cultural center. Owner Keita Tajiri may be Japanese, but almost everything else about Shilingol -- the food, the chef, the artifacts that cover every surface of the room -- speaks of a very different approach to eating and life in general.