nayutan
In the area of Higashi-Nagasaki, the okonomiyaki restaurants don't have a good reputation. Even in the northern area, the reviews are not great. However, there is a restaurant called "Sankaien" located in the middle of Ginza Street in the southern area. I hadn't had okonomiyaki in years, and it had been about a decade since I last visited this restaurant. My previous impression of this place was that the food was not delicious, it was noisy, and it was expensive. Despite this, I decided to give it another try. The restaurant had been renovated and reopened as a new establishment. I visited for dinner this time. Upon entering, I noticed significant changes in the interior. There was a staircase on the left side leading to the second floor, and on the left, there was a new counter area where you could sit and eat facing the wall. The counter extended towards the back, with tables for two along the way. On the right side, there were table seats for families. No one came to greet us when we entered, but eventually, we found an employee at the back who seemed busy. We asked if we could sit at the counter in the middle, and after getting the okay, we sat down as a couple. After a while, the staff came to take our order, and we ordered beer, okonomiyaki, salad, and foil-grilled dishes. To our surprise, the food was delicious. We were also pleasantly surprised by the reasonable prices. However, some things had not changed from before. The voices at the table could be heard throughout the restaurant, and the noise level increased with alcohol consumption. The structure of the restaurant amplified the sounds, which was a bit disappointing. The same was true for the second floor, where the sound of children running could be heard from the ceiling. The layout of the restaurant remained unchanged. It was a shame.