If you’re looking for some traditional Chinese delicacy, must be here.

Awesome place to go for ramen. Good food, good service.

Good food, friendly service...

A story from a little while ago. From the Hirokoji exit of JR Ueno Station, making full use of the pedestrian bridges, I went under the Shuto Expressway to the east side, the Higashi-Ueno area. Follow the road and Eiju General Hospital is on your right—it's across from there. Where I came: 好美味黄燜鶏 (Haomeiwei Huangmenji). It says it's a stone pot cuisine specialist, but besides stone pot dishes they also have rice noodles, hot pot, à la carte dishes, and more. All the dishes look elaborate, but the shop's vibe is like a fast food place that might serve hamburgers. Inside there are 6 counter seats and 2 four-seat tables. A big neon sign on the wall. I came because I wanted hardcore Chinese for the first time in a while, but time-wise it's an early lunch... hmm, maybe it's breakfast... it's morning drinking! Well then, first, booze, booze～ There's a ticket machine at the entrance, but each seat also has a QR ordering system. I got a highball (380 yen incl. tax). Maybe I'll snack on something until the main arrives. Oh, I'll go with this... salt-and-pepper fried chicken feet (650 yen incl. tax). I had chicken feet when I went to Taiwan, and they're so good～. Here they're a bit spiced and go great with drinks. For the main, mala hot pot. Being able to have hot pot solo is appealing. Hot pot comes in chicken, lamb, fish, and pork, but I figured chicken was the shop's thing, so I chose chicken. “！” Whoa whoa, it came in some kind of amazing pot. Hot pot chicken (1880 yen incl. tax). Besides a hefty amount of chicken, it's packed with potatoes, green peppers, carrots, napa cabbage, glass noodles, and cilantro. It's bubbling away furiously, so the splatter is intense (lol) No idea if it's something to eat in the morning, but it sure looks tasty. They asked if I wanted rice, and I said I'm fine since I'm drinking, but then: “The flavor is strong, so it's better with...” Seriously, it's like that? OK then, rice too. Ooh, the Sichuan pepper really comes through. There are tons of whole peppercorns too. I see, it's definitely too strong to eat on its own. It goes with rice—or rather, you need rice. The chicken is tender, and the chewy glass noodles are nice too. Not just chicken, there are lots of potatoes too, so it's a pretty hefty portion. For the hot pot, there are also toppings (260 yen incl. tax) to add more ingredients～. Ahh, my mouth is all tingly after finishing～ Morning drinking, and my stomach is stuffed. If you're curious, definitely give it a try.

A Hakata ramen shop about a 10-minute walk from Ueno Station. The ramen is properly Hakata-style ^_^ There are firmness options, and just like in Hakata, there's kaedama too. The fried rice was a bit disappointing for me. Not fluffy and separate at all—it felt moist (texture-wise). Maybe it's good some times and not others, since others seem to rate it well. The staff were bright, energetic, and good at selling, which was nice. The interior was clean too.