ちょにき
I had been curious about this restaurant for a while before it opened, but by the time I realized it had opened, my enthusiasm had waned and I watched from a distance for a while. Finally, it was featured in the newspaper and I heard from acquaintances that it was crowded, so I mustered up the courage to go check it out. The restaurant is run by a woman who used to be a snack bar mama for about 10 years, then worked in the caregiving industry, and later became the manager of the restaurant after leaving the caregiving industry due to a knee injury and searching for a new job. (excerpt from a local newspaper)
Around 11:30 on a weekend, the restaurant was crowded. Upon entering, I was told that there was seating available at the counter but I had to wait in my car. I returned to my car and before my body temperature could warm the seat, I was called back in and seated at the counter. The menu only had three items:
- Ankake Yakisoba 880 yen
- Extra large portion for 100 yen more
- Students (middle and high school) 550 yen
It is a specialty ankake yakisoba shop. If only young people under high school age visit, they can eat to their heart's content at a lower price. My partner and I ordered two ankake yakisoba dishes. Despite the crowd, the yakisoba arrived surprisingly quickly. ...but there was only one dish. I started eating before my partner, who was served later. The dish included large shrimp, quail eggs, squid, green beans, minced meat, wood ear mushrooms, cabbage, bean sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, etc., with a thick starchy sauce with plenty of mustard on the side of the plate. The noodles were half fried, so you could enjoy the crispy parts as well. There was also pepper, vinegar, and pickled ginger on the table. The pickled ginger had a lid, but the tongs ended up inside the container. I couldn't imagine they changed the tongs for each customer, so it was a bit concerning in this day and age.
After a while, my partner's yakisoba arrived. It came with soup. The server seemed busy and probably forgot, so I let it go. Despite my partner pouring vinegar on it, I noticed that theirs was definitely hotter than mine. I let my partner try mine, and we both agreed that mine was noticeably lukewarm. Later, a staff member approached us with another plate and said, "Oh, you didn't get this, did you?" and brought the missing soup. I wanted to eat the hot, fresh dish, but oh well. There were five staff members working in the kitchen. There must have been some kind of mistake. While we were eating, a man at the restaurant was visibly upset and saying various things to the other staff. I just wanted to quietly enjoy my meal, but he kept talking the whole time. I wanted to leave quickly. The taste was good. They have a stamp card system where you can become a Red, Yellow, or Black member. Yellow members get access to miso, salt, soy sauce, and ankake yakisoba, while Black members get access to miso, salt, soy sauce, seafood, curry, and ankake yakisoba. It was clear to me, as a layperson, that there were areas that needed improvement, but the restaurant had just opened so there is room for growth.