This year's limited edition, pre-work Thursday night belly-filling series. This time, I visited a local Chinese restaurant that has been around for many years. It's convenient to drive there as there is a dedicated parking lot a short walk away. They offer a noodle set during lunchtime, but unfortunately, it's not available in the evening. I considered ordering ramen and fried rice, but it didn't seem cost-effective. So, I asked if I could add a small bowl of rice to my tantanmen, and they said yes. I also inquired if I could have the tantanmen without soup, and they said it was possible. Later, I noticed a sign in the lower left corner of the TV in the restaurant saying "Introducing soup-less tantanmen." So, I ended up ordering the soup-less tantanmen with a small bowl of rice from Banbantei. The dish was simple, with thinly sliced green onions and bean sprouts as toppings. Although it didn't contain sesame seeds, the spicy flavor from the meat miso and sauce at the bottom paired well with the flat noodles. After finishing the noodles, I added the rice for a satisfying finish. Indeed, actions speak louder than words.

Every year at the end of the year, I visit this shop. The interior is beautiful and the menu looks appetizing. I recommend the spring roll and squid tempura combo, black vinegar pork, Tianjin rice, and shrimp mayo. The food is delicious and I feel like this Chinese restaurant is a bit more expensive compared to others in Kyoto city.

Today, I visited Manman-tei in Terada, Joyo City. It's a place I've been wanting to visit for a while. As soon as I entered the store, I ordered my usual dishes - yakisoba, fried rice, and karaage. However, this time they had curry fried rice on the menu, so I decided to try that. I thought the portion might be too big, but both the yakisoba and curry fried rice were delicious, so I finished them all in no time. I definitely want to come back here again. Thank you for the meal!

In the old-fashioned town of Kyoto, I had a delicious cold noodles dish at Banbantei in Joyo. This Japanese-style Chinese dish with mayonnaise sauce, cucumbers, eggs, and char siu was perfect for the hot summer. It was a nostalgic and tasty treat that helped boost my energy. The spring rolls were also great, easy to eat and reminiscent of a similar dish at another restaurant. I also took home some Nagasaki champon and fried rice, which were delicious. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the charm of this local Chinese restaurant, even though it's in my neighborhood. Thank you for the wonderful meal!

Visited in October 2020. At the time of posting, the restaurant had a rating of 3.23 on Tabelog (based on 12 reviews). I decided to try the "Soupless Dan Dan Noodles Rice Set" for 930 yen, and also ordered a side of 5 dumplings for 180 yen (tax included) after seeing a sign outside the restaurant. The counter seats were already full, so I was seated at a spacious round table. I noticed a lunch noodle set menu, as well as a relatively new menu item called "Soupless Dan Dan Noodles." After some contemplation, I settled on the "Soupless Dan Dan Noodles Rice Set" and added the dumplings for an extra charge. To my surprise, pickled radish was also included. The dumplings came with a separate sauce for dipping. The dumplings were plump and filled generously, although there was some room for improvement in terms of the filling-to-wrapper ratio given the price. The "Soupless Dan Dan Noodles" were packed with minced meat miso and a strong sesame flavor. The noodles were pleasantly chewy for a Chinese restaurant, and mixed well with the sauce that had accumulated at the bottom of the bowl. As I ate, the spiciness gradually built up, causing me to break a sweat. The crunchy green onions added a nice texture and flavor. Overall, it was a satisfying meal.

I went with a group of people for work and reserved a 3000 yen course meal. The restaurant was quite busy, so the food took a little while to come out. However, the portions were generous and delicious enough to fill us up.

I got off at Terada Station in Joyo City on a spring day. It's a bit run-down for a city center, but it has a historical feel. I ordered Nagasaki Champon for 740 yen. There were only three customers around lunchtime. The bright glass interior of the restaurant was nice. After about 10 minutes, my bowl arrived. It had squid, shrimp, pork, cabbage, carrots, and shimeji mushrooms. The champon soup had a strong ginger flavor. The noodles were thin and a bit weak. They served lemon water as well, which was a nice touch. The total cost was 795 yen, excluding tax. I felt it was a bit on the expensive side.

I have been going to this familiar restaurant since it first opened, although I can't remember the exact year, my eldest son was around 2 years old back then. I remember how he spun the revolving table so vigorously that he ended up splattering the brand new tatami room with seasoning. The toppings include roast pork, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, and green onions. The soup is the typical clear broth found in many Chinese restaurants, and it goes quite well with the chewy medium-thick straight noodles from Chukin Seimen. I thoroughly enjoyed the crunchy bamboo shoots and bean sprouts while finishing the meal. The roast pork would also make a great side dish for drinks! I had posted a review of the tantanmen noodles on another site in 2009, but unfortunately, I didn't keep the photo data, so I can't share it.

Today, I came here on a detour for errands. I'm not very familiar with Joyo City (^｡^;) It's right near Terada Station on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line. I almost became a lunch refugee, arriving just before 2 o'clock (;´Д｀) There were 3 customers before me and no customers after. The interior of the shop was clean and tidy, with a kitchen space in the back and 5 small tables but no counter seats. It seemed to be run by a calm elderly lady and her son. The menu had a variety of authentic dishes, including lunch menus. It says "takeout available," but it seems they don't do deliveries. I ordered the "Tenshinhan" that my body was craving for (^o^) It arrived in a football-shaped bowl on TV. Oh no, it definitely didn't look like a salt-based sauce (Tears) When I tried it, the sauce was soy sauce-based with a mild thickness, not the sweet and sour type, which was a relief. The thick and fluffy egg had a generous amount of crab meat and crunchy leeks inside. When eaten with perfectly cooked rice, the rare egg and well-seasoned sauce mixed together tasted delicious. It was a satisfying portion, and it warmed up my cold body. A rare find in this area. I hope the two of them continue to do their best. Thank you for the meal. Personal perspective: Wheelchair accessible: Yes/No, Separate restrooms for men and women in the back, Parking available for one car about 1-2 minutes away (No indication of the restaurant name on the parking lot, spot number 4 - see photo).

In the Choyo series, I was curious about the tantanmen and decided to check it out. I visited and ordered the ramen set meal for some reason (ramen, half fried rice). The set meal only includes ramen, and there are no other combinations with different types of noodles like "chashu men," "chanpon," or "tantanmen." Unfortunately, there was no option for extra-large servings, so I went with the ramen set meal. The ramen had little oil, like traditional Chinese soba noodles. The noodles were yellow. The fried rice was average in taste. If I have the chance to go again, I will stick to my original plan and order the tantanmen.

This is a Chinese restaurant called "Manmantei" located near Terada Station in Choyo City. I visited the restaurant around 1:00 PM on a Saturday. The restaurant is just a 5-minute walk from Terada Station. There doesn't seem to be a parking lot. The exterior of the restaurant has a retro Chinese restaurant vibe, with a large tent sign displaying the name of the restaurant making it easy to spot. Inside, there are regular tables and round tables. The interior is cleaner and more calming than the exterior suggests. The restaurant has a warm and welcoming atmosphere, with what seems to be a family-run operation. The menu consists of various Chinese dishes priced around 1000 yen per dish, with noodle and rice dishes around 700 yen. They also offer course meals in the evening. On this day, they had a lunch noodle set menu where you could choose from 4 options. I chose the Nagasaki Champon (salt flavor) with a small fried rice set for 760 yen. The Nagasaki Champon and fried rice were served after a short wait. The Champon had a milky white soup with vegetables like cabbage, bean sprouts, carrots, shimeji mushrooms, leeks, along with toppings of shrimp, squid, and pork. The soup was light and salty, with a soft and mellow flavor. The aroma of stir-fried vegetables made it quite appetizing. The noodles were thin and straight, but they didn't quite match the typical Nagasaki Champon style, and felt a bit lacking in quality. However, the generous amount of toppings like squid and shrimp made it quite satisfying. As for the fried rice, it was a basic Chinese fried rice with egg and green onions, but it was well-cooked and had a nice texture. The seasoning was slightly strong, but it had the right flavor for fried rice. Despite being a small portion, it was quite filling. I would rate the fried rice at 3.7 and the Nagasaki Champon at 3.2. Overall, the restaurant had a nice atmosphere, and if I lived nearby, I would definitely consider visiting regularly.

At first, I was told by someone about a really delicious restaurant that serves tantanmen. I visited during my lunch break. The restaurant is located a bit west of Terada Station on the Kintetsu line, with a parking lot a little further west. The exterior looks like a small suburban Chinese restaurant, and the interior has a quaint and old-fashioned charm. I followed my friend's recommendation and ordered the tantanmen set meal. The taste was amazing, with a rich soup that had a strong sesame flavor but wasn't too powdery. The minced meat provided a satisfying texture and kept me enjoying until the last drop of soup. The spiciness was just right, and the noodles had a good firmness that went well with the soup. From the moment I started eating, breaking up the toppings on top while savoring the soup until I finished it all, this tantanmen told a wonderful story. I made sure to fit it into my schedule even on my last day working in Joyo. It's still the best tantanmen I've ever had in my life, and I definitely want to eat it again when I go back to Joyo. Oh, and the lady at the restaurant is very friendly and cheerful, which is very soothing.

It is located within walking distance and I use it often. The portions are generally large, but recently they added a small size option which is perfect for dining alone. The overall taste is quite delicious. While many recommend the tantanmen, the best dish here is the crab fried rice! The regular fried rice is not to my liking, but the crab fried rice is a whole different story. I have tried various dishes, but nothing beats the crab fried rice here. The second best would be the fried rice from Nishikai's Fujimori.

A year later, I revisited the restaurant. Hooray for daily lunch specials! It was delicious! The Nagasaki Champon is more like a shrimp salt ramen than Nagasaki Champon. If you think of it that way and eat it, it's light and delicious! The ramen menu includes "Ramen," "Char Siu Noodles," "Champon," "Tantanmen," and others. The other menu items are typical of a local Chinese restaurant. The lunch menu includes a daily Chinese set meal, as well as noodle + half fried rice, and Tantanmen + rice, all for around ¥800. The highly praised "Tantanmen" from the reviews, I ordered the set with rice for ¥840!...I waited for a while. The interior of the restaurant is all table seating, with tables for two, four, and two round tables for six. I sat at a table for two since I was dining alone, but the five big guys at the round table next to me were making a lot of noise. I thought, "I can't compete with them," but since there was no food on their table, I thought, "I guess I'll be served after them...it might take a while..." Then, the waitress brought me the "Tantanmen set, here you go" (-o-;). Huh? What about the big guys next to me? Are they still sitting there smoking and making a mess after finishing their meal?! (;`Plate´) And in the end, I left the restaurant before them! (`ヘ´)...Well, the restaurant staff didn't say anything, and there's the argument of smokers' rights...but still. Get out quickly!! I screamed in my mind. Gathering myself, I tried the Tantanmen. It had minced meat miso, bean sprouts, chopped green onions, and watercress on top, with white sesame seeds and red flakes scattered on the surface of the soup. There was a line of pepper sprinkled on the green onions. Huh? Pepper on Tantanmen? So first, without mixing...slurp...It was refreshing and light, somewhat light in flavor, and the soup base didn't come on too strong. It seemed unreliable as it was. I then mixed the minced meat miso into the soup...slurp...Oh! There was no spiciness at all (just a hint of pepper), but it became slightly savory, a bit nutty, with a bitter taste. The toppings all had a good crunchy texture, and were delicious. The noodles were medium-thin with a slight curl. They were slightly soft. The sesame flavor was also just right. Overall, it's a ramen that can be eaten easily. The broth is not too strong, so it might appeal to everyone. I haven't tried other ramen dishes, but the volume of the set meals and side dishes was amazing! I will come back again. Thank you for the meal.

On August 1, 2012 at 12:30, I went to the restaurant alone. It was not very calm during lunchtime. Since there was no counter, I sat at a table for four people. I ordered a ramen and half fried rice set for 800 yen. It was brought to me in about 10 minutes. The ramen was a normal soy sauce flavor with not too much oil. I remember the noodles being yellow. The fried rice was okay, but there was a lump of egg in it which was a bit disappointing. The prices were 300 to 500 yen higher than at Osho. I cannot evaluate the lunch set as I did not try it. A customer who came in later had to wait for about 2 minutes, and seemed irritated as the place was full and the staff did not suggest sharing tables. They left in a huff. Next, a family of four with children arrived, but the kids seemed impatient so even though I hadn't finished eating, I decided to leave the restaurant. When dining alone, there are many restaurants where you need to be considerate, and this is one of those places. On the other hand, I think it would be enjoyable to visit with family.

A Chinese restaurant located in a shopping street about a 5-minute walk from Kintetsu Terada Station. The friendly owner always greets you with a smile. You can choose from a variety of dishes and courses, and they also offer takeout. I always order the dan dan noodles based on recommendations from other reviewers. Honestly, it's delicious. The rich and creamy base with crunchy bean sprouts and green onions provide a nice texture, and when you mix in the meat miso, the rich flavor and lingering spiciness are just perfect. I've also tried the dan dan noodles at a famous shop in Kyoto, but I think the ones at Bantentei are better. That shop seems to be diluting the soup, as the flavor was weak when I tried it once and I haven't been back since. This restaurant, which seems to have been operating for a long time, has a diligent owner as well.