nice.

A Chinese restaurant along the main road between 飯田橋 and 九段下. The exterior gives the impression that it has been open for quite some time, but inside it is bright and feels clean. The fairly small space has a counter in front of the kitchen and several tables, and is run by staff from the cuisine’s country of origin. The menu had many kinds of noodles and set meals, and I almost struggled to choose, but narrowed it down to chilled dishes and ordered 【Vegetable tsukemen】930円 which arrived in about 5 minutes. The medium-thin noodles, with their distinctive sheen and sticky texture, were coiled into a small bowl and looked like a small portion, but were quite substantial. The dipping broth was a soy sauce soup containing minced meat, menma, a boiled egg, cabbage, green onion, and nori. The soy sauce soup tasted like a typical neighborhood Chinese restaurant’s soup with added soy sauce seasoning base and acidity, and it went well with the noodles. However, as you would expect from vegetable tsukemen, the vegetables released moisture too, so the flavor gradually became milder and the richness and savoriness of the minced meat came into their own. Partway through, I added chili oil for heat and fragrance, and managed to enjoy a fairly balanced flavor. Other customers were also ordering chilled dishes, but many ordered fried rice too, which seemed to be a specialty here. Next time, I’d like to come back for miso-based noodles and fried rice.

I visited for lunch on a weekday. It was busy but not enough to require a queue, and I was shown to a counter seat. Apparently, the lunch noodle dishes come with a free half-serving of rice, while set meals offer a free large rice upgrade. I thought this was a welcome service. There were many lunch options, so I struggled to choose, but ordered tantanmen. Personally, I like the creamy, sesame-flavored kind and dislike the heavily spiced kind, but this was neither—it was sour tantanmen… It wasn’t really to my taste. Also, after getting home and reading reviews, I found out that smoking is allowed inside, even in this day and age. Luckily, I don’t think anyone was smoking, but I won’t be returning. The service was faultless. Thank you for the meal.

+2

I had 刀削麺 at 龍門酒家🍜✨ It has the old-fashioned neighborhood Chinese restaurant atmosphere typical of 飯田橋, making it easy to drop in casually◎ The place was lively, and its slightly nostalgic atmosphere felt really lovely! The chewy, uneven texture of the 刀削麺 noodles was fantastic… Their varying thickness helped the soup cling to them, and you could taste the wheat with every bite🍜 The soup had plenty of savory flavor too—familiar and approachable like neighborhood Chinese cooking, yet properly authentic! Before I knew it, I just kept eating, and it was very satisfying◎ The atmosphere lets you enjoy delicious Chinese food without any fuss—a “neighborhood Chinese restaurant you’d want to visit regularly.” It made me want to return whenever I’m craving a hearty bowl of noodles in 飯田橋✨

A rare restaurant around 飯田橋 where you can eat lunch while smoking during lunchtime. It tends to fill up at lunch, but turnover is fast, so you can get in quickly. I ordered the young chicken karaage set meal ¥950. As expected, because I ordered a fried dish at lunchtime, I waited about 15 minutes for it to arrive. Noodle dishes do arrive faster. The karaage was delicious with a crispy coating, though the underlying seasoning seemed mild. A very convenient Chinese restaurant for everyday visits. Thank you for the meal.