Tangmochan2
When you come to Tsukiji, the foot traffic suddenly decreases. Compared to other stores, the lunch prices here are much cheaper, with tuna being their specialty. Looking at their website, I noticed they have branches in places like Hotel New Otani and Ginza SIX, which I hadn't realized before. I had bought takeout from places like Isetan a few times, but even compared to those prices, the lunch at the main store is very affordable. The ranking of tuna cuts must be different, but it was my first visit. At exactly 1:40 pm, as two customers were leaving, we tried to enter, but the staff outside asked us to wait and had a lovely smile. After a while, two more customers came out, and we were asked to wait again. "Sorry for the wait!" said the staff with a lovely smile. Later, four more customers arrived, and after peeking inside, the staff informed us that there were four seats available. "Please wait a moment," they said with a lovely smile. "Sorry for the wait!" they added. We were asked to sit next to a man, and we were directed to the empty seats at the back of the counter. The map showing where tuna is caught around the world was interesting, as well as the illustrations of the different parts of the tuna. Maybe it's for foreigners? It's in Japanese though (laughs). The tea was quite weak, which was disappointing. Towels were served, and there seemed to be only the regular menu on the table, but there might be a lunch menu as well. The tea was served, and before we could look at the menu, the staff asked, "Do you have donburi?" The master nodded, and we ordered the donburi. Chopsticks and a chopstick rest were already set up. It took about 13 minutes for the donburi and miso soup to be served. Just before that, the master muttered that there was no shari (rice) or wasabi, but they were served soon after, so it was good they were there. The shari was slightly warm at first, but I prefer it cold, so it was a bit disappointing. However, it had a nice vinegar flavor. The shari gradually cooled down. The cut tuna in the donburi was indeed chunky, and we opted for the larger portion for an additional 110 yen. The portions of the neighboring customers looked better, but even the regular portion had a decent amount of shari and tuna, giving a sense of satisfaction. The marinade was a bit shallow, which made it taste a bit diluted. I added soy sauce little by little, and the wasabi was on the sweeter side. The cut tuna had various shapes, mostly red meat, with a little bit of fatty tuna. Even though the marinade was shallow, the taste was good. The shari, with a nice vinegar flavor, was to my liking, although it was a bit firm. It softened up nicely with the marinade, and it had a sweet taste. The pickled ginger had a good balance of sourness and sweetness, and the miso soup was average. After the meal, even the regular portion of the donburi was satisfying, but the larger portion looked better due to the smaller amount of shari in the nigiri sushi. It seems like 1.5 servings would be ideal for that. The lunch prices here are particularly affordable compared to what's known as the tourist prices in Tsukiji. I was tempted to get the tuna roll to go, but it was a hot day, so I gave up on that. I would have liked to see the lunch menu, and maybe I could have added something else? The menu layout was interesting, with two sheets - one for the regular menu and the other for the lunch menu. The alcohol menu was cleverly placed outside, and there was a blue menu for weekdays (Grand Menu) that could be reserved. They also offer takeout. Thank you for the meal!