#Today's lunch: Lamb Soup I had checked the location a while ago, and finally had the chance to visit a lamb restaurant near Takadanobaba Station. The restaurant is called "Youkikihyan Tankan" (羊貴妃羊湯館), which I couldn't read at all. It is located just a short walk from the Toyamaguchi exit of JR Takadanobaba Station. I can't remember what used to be there before, but nearby are places like "Niku Sanuki Jinzan" and "Ore no Sora". Upon entering the restaurant, it felt like a foreign country. I couldn't hear any Japanese - I hope I'll be okay. I was guided to a counter seat and ordered using my smartphone by scanning a QR code. The lamb cumin stir-fry would surely be delicious, but I had to try the lamb soup as it's the namesake of the restaurant. I chose the Lamb Soup (1180 yen including tax) with rice. A large bowl filled with soup was placed in front of me. It had a slightly cloudy appearance, and lifting the ladle revealed plenty of meat inside. I was told to try it as it is, so I took a bite. It was delicious! Even though there was salt and pepper available, it was already tasty as it is! It made me feel warm inside. Eating the rice soaked in the soup was also great. I tried adding some lamb oil chili oil halfway through. It added more umami rather than spiciness. It is said that lamb meat has warming and anti-aging effects, so I made sure to get all the nutrients by finishing the soup to the last drop. I also received a lunch point card, so I plan to visit regularly. Thank you for the meal. #lunch #Takadanobaba lunch #Baba lunch #Youkikihyan Tankan #lamb soup #solo dining #solo lunch

Just a short walk from Takadanobaba (Todaimon Gate) is a cozy restaurant called "羊" (Sheep). There was a pigeon object on the menu that looked real but didn't fly away. It was early afternoon and there were only a few customers, maybe because it's not well-known yet. I ordered the Lamb Soup with Naan (1180 yen) which had plenty of tender lamb meat. The soup was delicious and the meat was flavorful. Drizzling some lamb chili oil over it made it even better. I also tried the Dried Tofu Salad (458 yen) which was decent but could have used more cilantro. The White Cut Lamb with sauce (1078 yen) was like lamb chashu and tasted great with the sauce. The soup and meat were still delicious as ever. The customers were a mix of Japanese and foreigners, probably due to the location. I'll definitely come back. The bottled beer was nice and cold.

The sheep tripe soup was very delicious. The tripe is cut into easy-to-eat pieces so you don't get tired of it. It tastes similar to what I had in China, and adding salt or black vinegar can change the flavor, so you can stop when you like it. Eating it with a lot of cilantro (if possible) makes it taste really good. The accompanying naan bread is like a pancake and goes well with the soup. You can also opt to change it to rice. Ordering the dried tofu appetizer is tasty on its own, but turning it into a dipping noodle dish was really delicious.

Just a minute's walk from the main exit of Takadanobaba, while neighboring ramen and udon shops had long lines, this place had no wait to enter. Although there was a decent amount of customers inside, there was no line. Many reviews of other stores in the same chain mentioned that they were full of Chinese customers, but when I visited, there were more Japanese customers. Orders were placed using a QR code, a common system in Chinese restaurants. A pair of elderly Japanese women who came in later were unable to place their order with their smartphones and had to order verbally. It's worth considering the reliance on digital technology. I had the basic set which included lamb soup with nan. The nan was a round, fluffy bread with a slight filling and strong saltiness, different from what you would find at an Indian restaurant. The lamb soup came in a bowl with plenty of soup and chunks of lamb, more than I expected. I thought it might be too much, but the soup had a light salty flavor and the lamb was very tender, with a mild taste as well. I finished the meal while adjusting the flavor with the pepper and special chili oil on the table. This dish, typical of cold Dalian winters, is recommended for the upcoming cold season.

In winter, they serve lamb soup, but this restaurant is also open for regular dining. The chef is from Dalian, China. Their specialty is lamb dishes - stir-fried, grilled, skewered, and lamb soup. It's a great place for gatherings, and I recommend trying Chinese white wine. The lunch set with soup is only 1000 yen. It warms you up and gives you energy. The best!

The second branch of the Empress Yang Guifei Lamb Soup House, which opened its first branch in Ueno, may not resonate much with Japanese people as it is a soup culture from cold regions. It is not noodles or rice dishes, but a soup made with lamb, eaten with a dry bread called "nan." The milky white soup is not heavily flavored, and you season it yourself before eating. However, I wonder why they opened in this heat! It's still very hot in Japan, even though it's September (2022.09). The opening was in August. Even so, there are several Chinese customers coming in. Even in this heat, they eat this, so it must be comfort food for them. On this day, as a "Mid-Autumn" promotion, lamb dumplings (1,078 yen) were half price, and beer was offered at a discounted price. They also gave us mooncakes as a bonus. (Well, without such promotions, foot traffic might be tough around this time...) Just having beer and dumplings isn't enough, so despite the heat, we ordered the Lamb Soup (small: 1,480 yen), Nan (220 yen), and Lamb Skewers (165 yen each). However, there was a catch. While they take orders for beer and dumplings verbally, our order had to be placed through a mobile app using a QR code, which was quite cumbersome. (laughs) Probably because the owner is involved in the development of this type of app. The app has been updated and is now better than when I first used it at the Ueno branch. It's now available in Japanese too. The taste of the food is still top-notch, with skilled chefs working on it, no different from the Ueno main branch. The Lamb Soup "Quan Yang Tang," which contains all the lamb offal, is still light and delicious. But my body was hot! (The heat of the soup is adjusted, of course) The lamb dumplings were also tasty, with handmade skins. The Lamb Skewers were not made with tender meat, but they were very cheap. (For some reason, lamb skewers in Chinese restaurants are very affordable. Among Chinese people, this seems to be a menu item that cannot be priced high. In Iranian restaurants or similar, the same dish would be very expensive. It's recommended to eat this in a Chinese restaurant. The Nan still looks weird as ever (not Middle Eastern pita or Indian naan!), but when you split it and sandwich the lamb skewers, it tastes really good! If they are open until it gets colder, this place is more relaxed and cozy than the main branch, and since it's a street-side store, the atmosphere is nice!

- Sheep soup set ¥880 including tax Located a 2-minute walk from Todai Senguchi at Takadanobaba Station on the JR Yamanote Line, this Chinese restaurant specializes in sheep soup. It could be said that it is a sheep soup specialty store. It opened in Ueno two years ago, and this seems to be the second store. While there has been an increase in Chinese noodle shops recently, this one stands out as a soup-focused establishment, showcasing the wide range of Chinese cuisine. Intrigued by this, I decided to visit. The restaurant is situated in a place that used to be a wine bar. It has counter seats, tables for 2, and tables for 4. I was led to a counter seat, which seemed a bit cramped. Orders are placed by scanning the QR code on each table with your smartphone, which takes you to a dedicated page for ordering. For lunch, I tried the recommended sheep soup set, opting for the first item listed, the "sheep soup with offal" called "羊雑湯" in Japanese. The service was quick, and the food arrived promptly after ordering. [Sheep Soup Set] This set includes sheep soup with a special naan bread. The soup was delicious. It was milky white, reminiscent of light Hakata tonkotsu ramen, but lighter. The soup had a distinctive sheep aroma that was quite appealing. The seasoning was gentle, and the restaurant suggests adjusting the flavor with the salt and pepper on the table, but I found the mild taste enjoyable as it was. However, due to the substantial amount of soup, I started to crave a change in flavor halfway through. I added the restaurant's special chili oil (which apparently contains sheep fat) to spice it up a bit, and it was delicious even with the added heat. The offal included various parts, ranging from chewy to liver-like textures. If the flavor was stronger, I might have wanted some rice, but the mild taste paired well with the naan bread. The naan was not the typical soft Indian style but rather a slightly dry, regular bread with vegetables mixed in. It also came with pickled radish. Despite the large portion of soup, it didn't leave me feeling overly full, and I finished it at about 80% full. Overall, it was a satisfying meal. Thank you for the feast.

I visited a new lamb restaurant that opened on August 18th near the Todaguchi exit of JR Takadanobaba Station, just past the "Ore no Sora" building along the tracks towards Shinjuku. The restaurant used to be a wine bar called Bacchus, and the interior remains mostly the same. There were congratulatory flowers in front of the store, as it was their opening day. During the first three days (August 18th-20th), they offered their lunch menu at half price as a special promotion. You could scan a QR code on the table with your smartphone to view the menu and place your order. I was a bit confused about the difference between Lamb Giblets Soup and Lamb Meat Soup, so I asked the Chinese staff member for clarification. Lamb Giblets Soup contains offal, while Lamb Meat Soup is made with regular lamb meat. You could choose between special naan bread or rice, and specify the amount of rice you wanted. I was glad there was a staff member who could communicate in Japanese. I also mentioned that I didn't want cilantro in my dish, as it was included by default. I ordered the Lamb Meat Soup (with special naan bread or rice and a side dish) for half the regular price of 1,180 yen, at 590 yen. The dish arrived promptly in about 10 minutes. The soup was a creamy white broth similar to tonkotsu ramen, filled with chunks of tender lamb meat. The meat had a distinct lamb flavor but was not gamey, and the soup had just the right amount of saltiness. I enjoyed dipping the naan bread in the soup, but I found myself craving rice towards the end. The restaurant was moderately busy during the lunch hour, and I noticed they also offered lamb skewers and other appetizers, so I thought it might be worth visiting for dinner as well. They only accepted cash for payment.

Lamb offal soup set meal (soup) with pickles and naan bread (similar to salty bread in texture). The taste is good. The soup with lamb offal is called lamb offal soup. There may be a little less lamb offal in the dish, but overall the taste is good.

The dishes were gentle in flavor, suitable for Japanese taste buds. While the signature lamb soup was delicious, I also recommend trying the steamed dumplings filled with soup and the spicy lamb skewers packed with spices.

The spare rib barbecue was incredibly delicious!

The lamb offal soup for 880 yen was delicious. Next time, I want to try a stir-fried set meal. :)

Lamb dumplings for 1078 yen, lamb skewers for 400 yen.

Delicious

It was a happy three days of sheep festival ❤️

Whole sheep hot pot set 1180¥