I happened to stop in while passing by, and it was very delicious! The tantanmen was different from what I expected, with a light soy-sauce base. It also had cilantro, which I personally liked. I had a spring roll with the lunch set too, and that was delicious as well; getting a little dessert was somehow a nice touch too. It made me want to return.

The moment I walked in, cigarette smoke was billowing everywhere and I thought, oh no! But the group of earlier customers responsible for it left partway through, much to my relief. Looking over the menu, none of the individual dishes were under ¥1,500—pretty bold pricing! I suppose that means the flavors are the real deal. So I put together a set meal from dishes that looked like drinking snacks. The beef shin braised in soy sauce was delicious, with a fall-apart texture infused with beefy aroma! The creamy Chinese cabbage was so sweet, both the sauce and the vegetables! Who knew Chinese cooking could be like this? The photo hadn't survived, but the almond pudding packed into a little sake cup was cute lol. The lady looks unfriendly, but she actually takes care of you in all sorts of ways. I have a feeling she even threw in something extra with the set-meal portion… Thank you so much m(_ _)m. I'll definitely visit again for a dinner of individual dishes.

+2

I revisited a restaurant I'd been to long ago. It had been several years, so I'd forgotten. I ordered 鶏そば and 五目炒飯, while my companion ordered タンメン, 焼き餃子, and 牛スネ肉の醤油煮. The fried rice that arrived was risotto. Awful. Moist fried rice would have been one thing, but risotto! My companion's タンメン was soy-sauce flavored. That was surprising too. I realized this must be why I hadn't marked it on my map. But the 鶏そば was delicious. The golden clear broth and thin noodles were good, the 焼き餃子 was quite good, and the 牛スネ肉の醤油煮 was reasonably tasty too. Only the fried rice was a disaster. Which probably means the set meals that include rice are no good either. If you want fried rice, you'd be better off going elsewhere.

+3

[Smoking allowed]. Smoking and alcohol are allowed even at lunchtime. A medium bottle of beer (黒ラベル) comes with a small dish of zha cai. Maybe 青島ビール would pair better? I find the seasoning of the 鶏そば and 麻婆豆腐 interesting because it isn't Japanese-style. There are no daily specials, so the menu is always the same, but personally, 鶏そば is my only choice. The spring rolls (two) included in the lunchtime-only noodle set (担々麺 or 鶏そば＋spring rolls and half a portion of rice) aren't seasoned in any special way, but they're simply piping hot and crispy, and I really like them～ I end up ordering a beer. Honestly, the 担々麺 was… a bit disappointing, I guess (lol).

+3

A Chinese restaurant run by someone from Shanghai, serving delicious, authentic food in a hidden-gem neighborhood Chinese eatery. It uses a little Chinese spice (not used in Japanese neighborhood Chinese restaurants), giving it a slightly distinctive flavor. Prices are reasonable too. The salt level is a little light. (If I had to find fault, the 五目そば and 中華丼 containing seafood (squid?…) seem to have an ammonia smell…). On weekdays it opens in two sessions, from around 11:00 and around 17:00; on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays it stays open throughout. Closed Mondays. If you come in and order at least one dish, you receive almond pudding in a sake cup. Some dishes aren't on the printed menu but are posted on boards or paper on the walls (ニラレバ・かに玉・麻婆豆腐麺 etc.). I initially gave it ☆3 because it was a little less salty than I prefer, but changed it to ☆4 because the 麻婆豆腐, ニラレバ, spring rolls, and so on were delicious. My personal top recommendation is the lunch 麻婆丼 set, ￥800. I had 海老チャーハン, ￥800. The fried rice wasn't oily, with separate yet moist grains and restrained salt. Ingredients were around ７ fairly large, springy shrimp (hidden in the fried rice), long green onion, egg, and green pepper. It came with zha cai dressed with vinegar and chili oil, egg soup, and almond pudding in a sake cup. Light, gentle fried rice that was reasonably tasty. (I say reasonably or quite because whenever I eat fried rice, I inevitably compare it with 吉祥軒's…). The lunch 麻婆丼 set, ￥800, featured delicious, authentic 麻婆豆腐 with silken tofu and a noticeable Sichuan pepper kick (in a bowl? It's a plate, isn't it…). The half serving of noodles was also good, with thin noodles in a savory, light soy-sauce-based broth. This set suits my taste. The 麻婆豆腐麺, ￥800, was good too, like the same flavor loosened with soup. The lunch レバーニラ炒め set, ￥700 (the whiteboard outside says レバーニラ, while the blackboard inside says ニラレバ…), was delicious. The oyster sauce came through, with liver, garlic chives, bean sprouts, wood ear mushrooms, and onion. The liver was thoroughly cooked yet extremely tender. As usual, the set came with rice, soup, zha cai, and almond pudding in a sake cup. 鶏そば, ￥600 (lunch set with rice and spring rolls, ￥800). I thought it would be a full serving of the half-portion noodles, but it was different. Thin noodles in lightly salted chicken-bone broth, topped with steamed chicken thigh and long green onion. There is chicken oil, but it's light and delicious; partway through, I changed the flavor with pepper and chili oil. It might be better to order the lunch set or another, more strongly seasoned dish alongside it. This was my first à la carte order since my initial visit, but I received almond pudding in a sake cup. Perhaps it's a complimentary service for visitors. タンタン麺, ￥600 (lunch set ￥800). A chicken-bone, soy-sauce-based broth seasoned hot with distinctive Chinese spices, chili oil, and so on, topped with a meat-miso sauce containing minced pork, zha cai, and other ingredients. It's like a spicy, more complex version of the half-portion noodles. Perhaps closer to Katsuura-style 担々麺 than the sesame-paste 担々麺 popular in Japan. チャーシュー麺, ￥600, has chicken-bone soy-sauce broth with a simple, light, nicely balanced saltiness. I'd somewhat expected it from the price, but apart from ５ slices of flavorful chashu, it's plain ramen with no other toppings. If that isn't enough for you, perhaps order at least one additional dish.

+3