Cold Chinese noodle exploration record 15: Lunch wandering story in Koto Ward 257. As usual, revisiting and having lunch for the first time. Therefore, I will mercilessly number it. First of all, the very kind and gentle Taiwanese mother and daughter (probably) make me feel warm. I start with a cold oshibori with spices and a glass that makes me want to pour sake. I enjoy the coolness before the cold Chinese noodles. Unfortunately, the rice refill for lunch set has been changed to a free upgrade to a large portion. Therefore, I can focus on the cold Chinese noodles without any worries. Actually, it's not cold Chinese noodles, but cold Popsicle Chicken Ramen. Limited time offer. It costs 750 yen including tax, which is quite reasonable. The free small rice service for noodle dishes during lunchtime also applies. Even though cold noodles probably don't go well with rice, I have a policy of taking anything free except for illness. It is quickly chilled in about 5 minutes. Steamed chicken, cucumber, and pickled ginger make a simple and clean arrangement. The sesame sauce base with a refreshing lemon acidity makes it very refreshing and delicious. In addition, the medium-thin noodles are firm and cool, with a smooth and refreshing texture. The amount of noodles is just right. As I feared, I end up with too much leftover rice. The quality of the rice itself is delicious. I make do with the steamed chicken and pickled ginger as side dishes. Payment is cash only. I am sent off with a smile from the daughter. By the way, I couldn't find the rumored Taiwanese bone-in and tapioca milk tea that comes with lunch. Especially the latter may have disappeared naturally along with the decline of the tapioca boom. In any case, the lunch starting from 600 yen (simple salt/soy sauce ramen + half rice) is very reasonable and worth visiting frequently. Even without the cold dish, it is sure to make you want to come back often. Next time, I might try the Char Siu Fried Rice for 700 yen + Tan Tsu Men for 150 yen (50 yen off during lunchtime), the golden tag team.

This area is a treasure trove of local Chinese restaurants, with Seikarou nearby also highly rated on Tabelog. While the scores may be lower in comparison, I find it hard to understand the difference. Today, I had stir-fried bean sprouts and pork with black pepper, which was delicious, just like the ankake yakisoba I had the other day. It's the kind of food that makes you reluctant to finish eating. The bustling atmosphere during lunchtime also makes sense. In terms of taste, portion size, and energetic customer service, I believe this is a top restaurant in town.

It's a bit sporadic, but maybe because it's from the previous store? They have probably been coming here for about 20 years since the change of ownership. No matter what you eat, it's a great restaurant with reasonable prices in the downtown area. This time, there was a limited-time dish called "mochi meatballs," which I tried for the first time. The skin was like a sweet and chewy mochi without sesame seeds. Inside, there was minced meat with Chinese spices, creating a mysterious sweet and savory dish. It was surprisingly delicious and addictive! I highly recommend it! 😄

Koto-ku is a Taiwanese restaurant run by a family from Chida, the local area. The food here is slightly customized for Japanese tastes, offering a higher quality of dishes compared to other places in town. The presentation of the dishes is elegant and refined, without being overly extravagant. The prices are quite reasonable, and the portion sizes are just right for sharing between two people. The beer selection includes Kirin Lager, which is a refreshing change from the usual Malt or Premium Malt beers found in similar local restaurants. The prices are also very affordable, with a bottle of beer priced at 520 yen. The menu includes items like pickled cucumbers, burdock tempura, stuffed intestines, peanuts and small fried fish, and Tantanmen noodles. Overall, the restaurant is a great choice for a casual drinking session, and they also offer a lunch set with free rice refills and Taiwanese snacks.

After resuming business following the coronavirus break, the drink service is now 20% off, and during lunchtime, tapioca drinks and Taiwanese-style bonjiri are also offered as a service! I ordered the shrimp and egg in chili sauce. The fluffy shrimp and eggs were stir-fried with sweet chili sauce. Personally, I found it a bit too sweet, but it was not bad. However, the Taiwanese-style bonjiri service was super delicious! The staff were cute and friendly, so I will definitely go back again! (laughs)

When I visited after a long time, both the staff and the kitchen seemed different. The stick chicken, boiled dumplings, spring rolls, stir-fried bean sprouts, and five-ingredient fried noodles all had a good taste, reminiscent of the high-quality dishes from the past. The prices were reasonable, making it a great place for regular visits!

I stopped by a Taiwanese restaurant on my way back and forth between the site and the home center in the Koto Ward. It's quite far south in the usual Sumiyoshi area, taking more than 10 minutes to walk from the station. Since it's spring, I wanted to have a "Tanmen Festival," but unfortunately, this restaurant doesn't have a menu item called "Tanmen." So, I reluctantly ordered Set C, which is the "Chicken Karaage Set" among the three set meals available. I waited for about 5-6 minutes. The main dish of chicken karaage came with plenty of shredded cabbage and parsley on the plate. It also came with soup pickles, rice, and salt for the karaage. The karaage had a unique taste that wasn't quite Chinese-style or Japanese-style, more like a mix of both. The seasoning was strong, making the karaage delicious, although slightly tough. The soup had a mysterious flavor, somewhat like Chinese-style miso soup. The karaage was flavorful enough that it didn't need extra salt. The volume of rice in the small bowl was slightly larger than usual, but I managed to finish it easily, even though I have a small appetite. After finishing the set meal, I felt comfortably full at "nine-tenths full." It was disappointing that they didn't have a Tanmen Festival, but it was a restaurant where I could enjoy a delicious karaage set meal.

A Chinese restaurant in the town that resembles a home-style eatery in Taipei, but shines with Tainan's gourmet dish, Danzi noodles. I was captivated by the Danzi noodles here and traveled all the way to Tainan to eat them.

Today, despite the hot weather, I had lunch between Higashiyokocho and Sumiyoshi Station. There was a long line in the shopping street, and at the front was Unagi no Hikota. It's the day of the Ox in summer, so I thought. I decided to go to the Chinese restaurant next door. The staff, who were Chinese, greeted me with a loud voice. The restaurant was almost full. I ordered the daily lunch special, which was sweet and sour chicken. The chicken was good quality and the sweet and sour flavor was delicious. It's not a typical lunch dish that you would find at a Chinese-run restaurant where the quality of the meat is compromised. It seems like they have a stable customer base that comes in every day.

★Revisit★20150827★ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー★I have visited this place quite a few times since my first visit, but for some reason, I keep missing the timing to write about it. Well, deep down, maybe I don't want it to get too crowded, like those trendy izakayas where young people gather. But this place offers authentic Taiwanese cuisine. I've come to appreciate the taste of Shaoxing wine, and recently I've been exclusively ordering that, even keeping a bottle there. There are two types of 750ml bottles, one for 1800 yen and the other for 2200 yen, but if you order a shot, they serve the 1800 yen one. I prefer the 2200 yen one for savoring slowly, and it's just so delicious! The noodle dishes and yakisoba are tasty, but I recommend avoiding the ramen with soup. However, all the side dishes are incredibly delicious, and it's a wonder why this place isn't more famous. The locals love it, and even on weekdays around 8 pm, it gets crowded. On this day, I arrived at 7 pm, and by the time I left, around 10 people had rushed in, causing a bit of a panic. The must-try dish here is the gyoza. Whether it's boiled or fried, you have to try the gyoza. It's like a delicious xiaolongbao rather than just gyoza. When you bite into it, the meat juice bursts in your mouth, not too hot, just perfect! Even a simple vegetable stir-fry is expertly seasoned with sesame oil. The fried rice with five ingredients may not have five ingredients, but it tastes like a professional chef's dish. The cost-performance ratio is astonishing. With the 2200 yen bottle, gyoza, vegetable stir-fry, and fried rice, the total bill came to 3510 yen. You would pay the same at a typical yakitori place, but the satisfaction and fullness here are several times better. The waitresses are friendly and remember you from your second visit, which adds to the welcoming atmosphere. The only downside is that smoking is allowed. I've had some unpleasant experiences with smokers nearby, but if you can overlook that, this place deserves a perfect 5-star rating. I popped into this place after enjoying a meal at a nearby chicken restaurant, Torisen. I had tried their summer limited edition lemon ramen before but didn't feel like writing about it. It was surprisingly refreshing and tasty, perfect for a finishing touch, but the soup was a bit thin. Last night, I ordered their hot and sour soup noodles. My impression was that it was extremely sour! Since it's Taiwanese cuisine, I was told that the vinegar used is also from Taiwan, giving it a unique and somewhat strange smell. It's sour, which is fine, but that distinctive smell, I couldn't stop eating it, it's addictive in a way, despite the smell, I couldn't resist. There were three or four Taiwanese girls sitting right next to me, and I couldn't help but watch them eat, which might be taboo in Japan. However, the service was impeccable, with cold towels and water provided as I was sweating profusely. It was such a comfortable and hospitable environment. I think I might enjoy this place more if I focus on the Chinese dishes rather than just ramen. Well, that's about it, I guess?

I visited this restaurant for the first time in about 4 years. I used to think that they had the most delicious, beautiful, and moving spring rolls in Japan. However, this time, the spring rolls were completely different and just ordinary, which was really disappointing. I have attached a photo of the previous "exquisite spring rolls" for comparison. Despite this, the taste of the other dishes remained almost the same and they were all delicious. The cost performance is very good, so I would like to visit again in the future.

On this day, the intended shop happened to be temporarily closed for renovation, so I decided to enter Chida shopping street. To my surprise, the street had somehow changed its name to Art Museum Street. As I walked into the shopping street, I quickly spotted Kin Kitchen. The sign outside advertised Taiwanese cuisine. The interior of the restaurant was surprisingly spacious, with over 30 seats. Although the menu was extensive, there were only a few lunch options available. The Chinese waitress was not particularly friendly. I ordered the Five-Ingredient Ramen for 650 yen. Despite singing the praises of Taiwanese cuisine, the menu lacked distinctive dishes like Mapo Tofu. The ramen arrived with a side of complimentary rice. It was filled with shrimp, squid, bamboo shoots, cabbage, carrots, and naruto. The noodles were thin and straight, and the broth had a light saltiness that brought out the flavors of the ingredients. Although the soup appeared to be on the lighter side, the dish was surprisingly filling. This Chinese restaurant, beloved by locals, was a delightful find.

It's delicious in a normal way. It's Taiwanese cuisine. I don't know what makes it different from Chinese cuisine. So, is the lady also Taiwanese? She has a nice atmosphere. I remember the spring rolls being particularly delicious. Oh, when I tried to post this, it said I need to write more. It seems like the system is in complete control, like R2D2. Let me fill the space by writing the lyrics of the Tokyo Ondo song... Oh, but that doesn't fit the purpose of Tabelog, and might get deleted. Oh well. It was Gold Kitchen. The prices are not cheap, but not expensive either. The taste is okay. This place somehow leaves a faint impression. The interior is family-friendly and it's fine. They open at 5 PM, but you can get in around 4:45 PM. They also have beer (probably normal). I like the atmosphere of the lady (got it).

Gold Kitchen is a very customer-friendly restaurant. The female owner, who is likely from Taiwan, is thoughtful and very kind. The restaurant is always busy, but she handles seating arrangements and other requests with a smile. Most of the customers here are locals. At night, there are always several lively groups having a party-like atmosphere. The food may not be outstanding, but it is consistently good and you won't be disappointed. My favorites are the mixed yakisoba, five-spice offal, and spicy soba (really spicy). The prices are reasonable, making it a beloved spot for the locals. Keep up the good work!

I have occasionally been using this restaurant since it first opened. I remember it opened around the years of Heisei 3-5. It was originally located diagonally across from its current location, in front of the police box. The current owners are the son and daughter of the second generation, it seems. The original parents, whom I have spoken to many times, are both genuine Taiwanese. I have brought many friends and acquaintances here for lunch and dinner in the past, and most of them said the food was very delicious. The flavors, especially in the stir-fried dishes, are on the strong side, which leaves an impact. It may not have a refined taste overall, but it stands out from the typical Chinese restaurants in downtown Tokyo. For example, I love the shrimp fried rice here. It's unique. The slightly mushy shrimp fried rice here is delicious. I don't think fried rice that is too dry is necessarily tasty. Many people say that the taste has slightly declined compared to the previous owner. Overall, the satisfaction level, including value for money, is very high. It seems like there are many fans of this restaurant in the local area.