Amazing cold and cheap Chinese noodles. Tasty chashu. Dark, rustic, showa vibes. Run by super sweet old couple.

My first visit was on Saturday at lunchtime, taking bus route 渋64 (中野-渋谷). A so-called kitanashuran along 大久保通り. Counter seating only, run by the owner and an older woman. I had the place to myself and ordered bottled beer for 600円 and soft yakisoba with thick sauce for 800円. Beer seems to be the only alcohol, but there were 2 complimentary appetizers. One was spinach, the other sea cucumber! My first time getting complimentary sea cucumber—it felt like a bonus. The woman called the soft yakisoba with thick sauce “Shanghai yaki” when passing on the order. Boiled noodles with plenty of thick sauce, served on a large plate about 25センチ in diameter, so it looks lavish, and the taste is Good. Great value at 800円. I was the only customer the entire time. The woman said, “It's usually busy, but today is strange.” Smoking allowed.

I was able to get off at 中野坂上 along my highway bus route, so I went to 宝来, which took care of me back in my student days. It brought back memories of how eating at 宝来 about once a month was a treat when I was a student in 昭和６０年代, and how they sometimes gave students a little extra. On ＤＡＹ－１, the rice dishes and gyoza were sold out, so I tried noodles: tanmen with meat (¥750). They boil the noodles in a large pot, stir-fry the meat and vegetables in another, and combine them with the soup, producing the cloudy white broth I expected. I started with the meat and vegetables. The vegetables had both crunch and sweetness, and the meat wasn't tough—straightforwardly delicious, showing years of experience. The soup was excellent too, with cleanly spreading umami and no unwanted off-flavors, another taste that had me nodding in approval. The noodles were admittedly pure Showa, but the delicious meat, vegetables, and soup made ＤＡＹ－１ satisfying. On ＤＡＹ－２, I got off at 東中野 and walked １５ minutes. The full menu was available that evening, so I tried tenshindon (¥700) and pan-fried gyoza (¥550). The color of the tenshindon's thick sauce was pure Showa, but it had no strange harshness and a taste that still works in the Reiwa era. With coarsely chopped chashu and kamaboko inside the fluffy egg, plus what was probably crabmeat, it was more than high-quality enough for tenshindon. In fact, ７００円 in this Reiwa age is far too good a deal. The gyoza seemed more expensive than in the Showa days, but they were carefully prepared with natural meat juices—worth noting as a side dish for grown-ups. Back when I was a student, I think it was run by ２ men around ４０ years old, but now it's just １, and he's ８３ this year... You feel the passage of time. I can sense his age in the way he walks, lifts noodles with a flat strainer, and so on, but he doesn't cut corners in preparation. More than anything, I'm grateful he's still working. Truly, thank you for looking after me back in the Showa days! Stay healthy forever!!

+3

I visited because it had a good reputation. Not knowing what was recommended, I ordered the 宝来 set meal, drawn to the unusual dish of pork stir-fried with ketchup that shares the restaurant's name. They served soup first, but the bowl was dirty and chipped, so the hygiene alone was already a dealbreaker for me. After a short wait, I got the main dish of ketchup-fried pork and white rice. The rice smelled a little strange, and the main really tasted like pork stir-fried with nothing but ketchup. I felt like I was just eating sour, tough pork, and after eating 1/3, I was debating whether to leave without finishing. The best thing in this set meal was the fried egg, followed by the tofu. Maybe it was good in the past, but the owner is elderly and cooks while moving unsteadily, so perhaps the quality has declined? Anyway, I won't be returning.

+1

As other reviews have said, it can certainly feel a little unclean and just so-so. But the owner is really kind and the food is inexpensive, so considering everything, it's better than you might expect. I went every week during the 3 months I lived in Japan, and I'm simply grateful for the warm welcome every time.