The good old Japanese Chinese restaurant. An average and ordinary taste and kind services. The master is a bit lousy but he's not actually angry. Somewhat funny. That's Entertainment!

A Chinese restaurant near the Keio Nakadori shopping street. Its yellow sign stands out from the outside. It has the atmosphere of “THE neighborhood Chinese restaurant,” which raised my expectations. Alongside various standard set meals, they apparently also have monthly set menus. The stir-fried garlic shoots caught my attention, so I ordered the “pork, onion, and garlic shoot ginger stir-fry set meal” for 950円. It arrived in about 10 minutes. What clearly sets it apart from a typical Chinese set meal is probably the coleslaw salad. The soup was piping hot, and there was plenty of white rice. As for the main ginger stir-fry, it was a little too oily, and I couldn't taste much ginger. The atmosphere inside also bothered me. There were two men in the kitchen and one woman serving, but eating at the counter, I felt an indescribably heavy atmosphere.

+3

A neighborhood Chinese restaurant near the Mita–Keio Nakadori shopping street. About a 4-minute walk from Mita Station's A3 exit and about a 6-minute walk from Tamachi Station. It's also within walking distance of Akabanebashi Station. I visited around 13:45 on a weekday. Lunch is served from 11:00〜14:00. It apparently gets crowded with students and office workers from 12:00〜13:00, but it was quiet at this time, with no wait. There are about 30 seats inside, including counter and table seating. The exterior shows its age, but the inside is orderly and feels clean. Apparently, smoking is prohibited throughout at lunchtime but allowed at night. Service was smooth, taking about 5 minutes from ordering to serving. Prices are reasonable overall, with many dishes costing less than 1,000円. This time I ordered the special niku soba + half portion of chahan set (870円). The niku soba has medium-thin curly noodles in a rich soy sauce broth. It's generously topped with a thick sauce containing meat, bamboo shoots, and green peppers, and the savory flavor really comes through when mixed with the noodles. I was also impressed by how the sauce's savory flavor dissolved into the broth as I ate, bringing the flavors together. Adding a little vinegar partway through sharpens the finish, keeping it enjoyable to the last bite. The half portion of chahan was slightly moist. It tasted lighter than it looked and paired well with the ramen, making for a well-balanced set. It's nothing flashy, but this place offers consistent flavor at affordable prices. I could see why neighborhood students and office workers have supported it for so long. Payment is cash only.

+3

I'd walked past this place many times for ages, but this was my first visit. I'd already read reviews about the owner's almost workplace-bullying-like way of speaking and the three-person staff setup, so checking those things out was part of the fun. It really feels like a neighborhood ramen shop that's been around since the latter part of the Showa era, when I was a kid. At lunchtime, customers were constantly coming and going. Maybe because of that—or even so—the service wasn't great. The owner's language was as rude as the reviews said, but he wasn't loud, so you probably wouldn't notice unless you knew beforehand. The flavor was classic and old-fashioned, and fairly close to the kind I like. Today's daily special was miso-stir-fried eggplant with a little pork, half a ramen, white rice, and pickles. On another day, it was bustling again even before 1200. I had the niku soba + half chahan set. The amount of meat in the display sample was quite different from the actual dish. But for this price in this location, it was decent.

+3

【Returning to a neighborhood Chinese restaurant after 30 years】 Back in college, I'd slip out between classes to eat at this neighborhood Chinese restaurant. It wasn't incredibly delicious, but it was close to campus, and above all, the appeal was eating your fill cheaply. That day, passing the spot where the old restaurant had been for the first time in ages, I noticed a place that looked very similar. Huh, hmm～? Almost the same location and appearance. But that was nearly 30 years ago, surely not… Curiosity got the better of me, and I went in. It was quiet inside, and I sat at the end of the counter. ◆Hoikoro set meal @890円 ◆Draft beer @530円 I couldn't see the kitchen, but the pleasant sound of a wok being tossed rang out. The food soon arrived. It consisted of hoikoro, a large serving of rice, Chinese soup, a small plate of salad, and pickles. The moment I saw it, memories stirred: “Could it be…?” The hoikoro was piping hot and rich. The thick sweet-and-spicy miso and tianmianjiang came through strongly. In particular, there was so much sweet-and-spicy miso that I thought, “No way!?” It formed the core of the seasoning. I could probably eat 1 bowl of rice with this miso alone. Who cares if there's hardly any meat? The cabbage and green peppers stir-fried in loads of oil are enough. But that amount of oil… Tilt the plate and it forms a pool, making me quip inwardly, “Are you Hakata teppan yakiniku or what!?” The soup used the same broth as the ramen, as is common at neighborhood Chinese restaurants, and tasted thin, for better or worse. That settled it. No doubt, this was the place from back then. The set meal was cheap and filling. Easy enough for a student, but pretty heavy for me now. Grumbling, “There's too much rice～,” I somehow finished it thanks to nostalgia. As I left, I asked a slightly alluring staff member, and she answered with a hint of pride, “Yes, that's us. We're still operating just as before.” I knew it! It was truly nostalgic, and just as delicious as back then. I hope they keep filling the stomachs of Mita's students. By the way, just between us, the set meals have been more recommendable than the noodles since back then.

+2