I visited the legendary Sukiyaki bowl restaurant Matsunakabashi branch, which is a 5-minute walk from Seibu Tachikawa Station, after a long time. Nowadays, Sukiyaki bowls are available all over Japan and even overseas, making them easily accessible. In the past, there were not many branches, so going to a Sukiyaki bowl restaurant was always exciting. Among them, this Matsunakabashi branch is the one I have been most grateful for. This time, it had been a while since my last visit, and I found that the menu had expanded to include items like Hormone bowls and fried chicken. However, I was a bit disappointed to find that the oil noodles I used to love were no longer available. I used to enjoy the set of Sukiyaki bowl and mini oil noodles, but this time I ordered the Sukiyaki bowl for 730 yen. I handed the food ticket to the staff, and the food was served in just 3 minutes. A raw egg was served on a separate plate, so I mixed it with grated garlic and poured it over the Sukiyaki bowl. I started by eating the white rice alone to enjoy the flavor of the garlic more strongly towards the end. Then, I savored the rice and meat soaked in the garlic-flavored sauce for a satisfying finish. As always, it was delicious and filling! The fact that miso soup was included in the 730 yen price was really helpful. Thank you for the meal. I will visit again.

I was hungry, so I went to Sta-don for the first time in a while and ordered the horumon-don in medium size. It was a lot for me! Maybe it wasn't the healthiest choice before my health check-up, but the flavorful rice was delicious! I'm not young anymore, but sometimes I crave the punchy flavors of Sta-don.

<August 19, 2021> https://somegu.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-775.html This restaurant, which I have visited occasionally since my first visit in 2009 (at that time it was called "Famous Sutadon Restaurant"), I felt an inexplicable craving for sutadon this time, so I visited after a long time. When I parked my car in the parking lot and headed towards the restaurant, a strangely appetizing aroma tickled my nostrils, and I thought, "Ah, that's right, that's how it was. This is the feeling." My mind was already filled with thoughts of sutadon. There was a poster of piled-up fried chicken at the storefront, but I didn't pay any attention to it and purchased a ticket for sutadon (¥630) at the ticket machine at the entrance. Since it was already past lunchtime, the restaurant was empty. I handed over the ticket and sat at the corner counter. The seating area and kitchen are minimal in space, but the seating area seemed a bit cleaner. After a few minutes of waiting surrounded by the savory smell of the meat being cooked, the long-awaited sutadon was served. The way the pork fat is distributed is just right. The visual presentation is as appetizing as ever. As usual, I started eating eagerly, mixing the meat and rice in a balanced manner. When the rice portion increased, I promptly added the egg to make it into a meat-filled TKG. The pickled radish placed at the edge should not be underestimated. Taking a bite of it in between refreshes the palate a bit and makes it even more delicious. The miso soup may be a bit light, but this level might not interfere with the sutadon, which could be good. I haven't eaten it in a long time, but sutadon is still delicious. It's especially amazing when eaten in the summer.

The counter seats have become even narrower due to COVID-19 measures in Tokyo. The partitions do not fully cover the width of an adult male. There are no separate partitions for chopsticks or condiments, making it difficult to mix the egg. It can be tough during busy times. The ticket machine accepts various electronic payments, but it does not support the now common QR codes. The stamina bowl arrived in a few minutes. It tasted like the usual stamina bowl. The extra meat made the rice go down easily. It had been a while, so I quickly finished it and it was delicious.

From Seibu Tachikawa Station on the Seibu Hagiyama Line, just a short walk away, is the legendary Sukiyaki restaurant Matsunakahashi branch. It is a familiar Sukiyaki restaurant in the Tama region. I haven't used it much, but now that I've spent a lot of time in Kansai, it somehow feels nostalgic as a soul food. It's not really found in Kansai. It's like the Jiro of the bowl world, with the three beats of "salty, garlicky, and generous" all in one. The Sukiyaki bowl [630 yen] comes with raw egg and miso soup. The raw egg is a self-cracking style. It's slightly different from the pork ginger bowl, at least in appearance. The garlic soy sauce is intensely flavored, and you can be drawn in by its smell within a 50m radius outside the store. My personal way of eating is to place only the egg yolk in the center of the Sukiyaki bowl, and put the egg white in the miso soup. Also, because there is a lot of rice, I eat the rice first. The soup doesn't soak into the rice enough to make it soupy. On another day, I tried the recently popular Karaage, which they are trying to make one of their two major specialties. The Mini Oni Oroshi Karaage Set [830 yen]. Even though it's mini, it comes with 6 pieces of Karaage, and it's quite a volume. And this one also has a lot of garlic flavor. The rice is also plentiful. Overall, it's a taste and quantity that young people and those who do physical labor prefer. Also, the Matsunakahashi branch seems to have a close relationship between customers and the staff, maybe because there are not many eateries around the area. Despite being a chain store, it has the appearance of a local diner. Well, it's a place you can't go wrong with when you're hungry.

Today, I went to my parents' house in Tachikawa and ended up getting back late, so I was thinking about what to eat. I saw that a steak restaurant on the way to Ome Kaido in Mizuho had turned into a Stadon restaurant due to construction, and it was crowded, so I decided to go to a place nearby. I ordered a Stadon Gyoza set for 910 yen and a Salt Oil Soba for 630 yen using a food ticket. I had to wait a bit because they were making it properly, but the gyoza skin was torn and rolled up, making me lose my appetite. Also, the water was lukewarm and had a strange taste, which was a small but significant negative point. The Stadon was okay, but the Salt Oil Soba had no flavor at all. Maybe I should have just ordered regular oil soba.

I wanted some vegetables, so I chose the "Stamina Rice" (680 yen). The bowl comes with an egg but no cabbage. The dressing is "Non-oil Green Shiso," which seems pointless with such oily meat. It's a shame that you don't get miso soup with takeout. The pork belly with a hint of garlic is tasty. The rice goes down easily, and I couldn't resist mixing in the oil... I won't lose weight this way. I tried adding grated yam the second time, but it was the same.

Beef bowl with extra meat topping for ¥930. I usually get extra meat, but I was really hungry today. It was my first time getting the extra meat topping, and it was quite filling. The balance with the rice was good too. I crave this beef bowl occasionally. It was a satisfying meal.

Lately, the "sta-don" at Seibu Tachikawa hasn't been great, so I've been going to the Fussa branch instead. I just realized that they are actually part of the same company, Antoworks Co., Ltd. I visited the Seibu Tachikawa branch today after a long time. About 20 years ago, this place used to be a ramen shop from Hachioji. Today, I tried the "sta-don" for 630 yen and the "abura soba" for 630 yen. The "sta-don" was different from the one I had before, it reminded me of the taste from the old days in Kunitachi or Tachikawa. It had a hint of garlic, chopped green onions, and seaweed on top of well-seasoned rice. It felt nostalgic and I wouldn't mind coming back for this taste. As for the "abura soba," the noodles were unevenly cut and seemed like they were taken from the bottom of a noodle box. However, the taste and seasoning were good, and I enjoyed it. I had low expectations for this place, but I was satisfied with the food. Unlike the overly energetic staff at the Fussa branch, the staff here seemed a bit shy and not good at customer service. They didn't respond to my greetings when entering and leaving, and their overall attitude towards customers seemed lacking in hospitality.

On rainy days, they offer even more meat with consistent deliciousness.

I visited around 20:30 on Monday. Thank you for the delicious meal.

At the time around May 19, 2018, I remembered that I had a disappointing experience with chicken karaage. So, I decided to visit the "Legendary Stadon Shop" and ended up ordering the usual ginger beef bowl instead of the chicken karaage set. Despite the mix-up, I enjoyed my meal and felt comforted. It was truly a soul food experience.

"The 'Devilishly Spicy Stamina Fried Rice with Chicken' supposedly has 280g of fried chicken, but there is no towering fried chicken tower element as shown in the menu photo... The chicken fried is lacking in juiciness... If that's the case, I'd say the fried chicken bento from another shop is cheaper and tastier."