When I visited Asakusa, I bought some nikuman (steamed pork buns) from this place to take home. As I had the impression that Asakusa's nikuman (shumai) were from "Sekine," this was actually my first visit and first time trying them here! "Seika Restaurant Asakusa Direct Sales Store" is located near Asakusa ROX, along Sushiya Street. The shop used to be a Chinese restaurant established in 1920 near Kaminarimon. Despite being close to "Sekine," I had never heard of it before as I don't often walk along Sushiya Street when I visit Asakusa. They sell dim sum such as Chinese steamed buns, chimaki, shumai, gyoza, and spring rolls. When you enter the store, there are samples displayed in glass cases. Although they used to have a restaurant, it seems that they now only sell their products. I ordered the "Nikuman (Large)" for 300 yen, and they steamed it for me, so I could reheat it at home. The skin is made of naturally fermented dough called "raomen." It is fluffy with no sweetness, offering a simple yet delicious taste. The filling is not overly meaty but has a simple meaty flavor. The nikuman is light and refreshing in taste. The "Tender Braised Pork Bun" for 340 yen has a generous serving of braised pork with a moist and soft texture, coated in a rich sweet and savory sauce. The "Chinese Chimaki" for 400 yen is their most popular item. The rice is chewy and the meat and shrimp flavors blend well. The chunks of meat inside are a nice touch. Everything was delicious, especially the Chinese chimaki, which was really tasty. I would love to try their shumai and gyoza next time if I have the chance.

The area in front of Kaminarimon Gate and Nakamise Street in Asakusa is deserted. Every day, from morning till night, all you hear about is "corona". They say not to go outside, stay at home, and limit shopping to once every three days. It's a global tragedy, but there's no helping it. That's why I wish the media would provide more positive information and solutions sooner. Yes, Asakusa's Shokka offers online shopping. Let's order some nikuman (steamed meat buns) to relieve stress instead of enduring it. It seems the state of emergency will be lifted tomorrow, and I pray for a gradual recovery of the economy.

It's a shop that sells meat buns and shumai. You can buy both freshly steamed and frozen. I bought the frozen ones and steamed them at home. The meat bun (large) costs 260 yen, the vegetable bun costs 270 yen, and the mixed shumai costs 630 yen. The vegetable bun was unique and delicious. Thank you for the meal.

This is a Chinese dim sum shop located on the sushi street in the Asakusa area. It is a direct sales store, so I thought it was for bulk purchases only, but you can choose between frozen items or warm items that have been steamed, and you can also eat them on the spot. They had large and small sizes of meat buns and red bean buns. I ate a small meat bun on the bench outside the store! Even the small size is about the size of a convenience store Chinese bun♪ The skin is thick! The skin is not very sweet, quite simple. The meat filling had a hint of ginger. It left me with the impression of a regular meat bun σ(^_^;) The most popular item in the store seems to be the steamed rice dumplings. I also like rice dumplings, so I plan to try that next time.

It was a while ago, but I visited a place called "Yangzhou Shangren" that follows the tradition of "Seika". Recently, I couldn't get meat buns out of my head, so I decided to investigate. To my surprise, "Seika" has made a comeback. It seems to be a direct sales store selling meat buns, chimaki, dim sum, noodles, and more. It is located on the right hand side when you enter from Asakusa's Kaminarimon Street to Sushiya Street. After hearing the explanation, I ordered some for gifts and for home. The small meat bun I ate on the go was delicious, with juicy filling. The ones I took home and put in the fridge became a bit firm, but still tasty. In my family, we enjoy meat buns with Worcestershire sauce and Western mustard, a slightly old-fashioned way of eating in a predominantly soy sauce-loving community.

On the eve of the New Year, I decided to have lunch in Asakusa before heading to Mukojima. Due to the cold weather, I was looking for something warm to eat, but there were not many options available. Eventually, I settled on Sushi Sei. After enjoying a few pieces of sushi, I headed towards Shoka Restaurant. This time, I ordered some "niku manju" and "an manju" in small sizes. The dough was made of good quality flour. I brought these back home to enjoy in my humble abode. Upon taking the first bite, I noticed that the difference in taste compared to regular yeast was minimal. The skin was thick and the meat filling was lacking in flavor. Nowadays, even convenience stores offer better quality bao, so these were considered somewhat disappointing.

About ten years ago, near Asakusa Station on the Ginza Line, there was a dim sum shop called "Seika Restaurant" on Kaminarimon Street. Their "manju" was comparable to renowned shops. Suddenly, it disappeared from the streets of Asakusa and was completely forgotten by the locals. However, recently, across from Sushiyokocho "Sushisei," a familiar sign caught my eye. I decided to enter the shop, and it resembled a character from Honjo Matsuzaka-cho's Akaboshi Ronin. Upon inquiring, I learned that it was the "Seika Restaurant Asakusa Direct Sales Office," a revival of the original Seika Restaurant. Their meat buns, red bean buns, and other buns were exceptional. I purchased their "crab shumai" for 572 yen, which had a strong aroma of fresh onions and a unique taste compared to other shumai in the area. In this neighborhood, "Seikine" excels in shumai.

About a 5-minute walk from Asakusa Station, just off the main street of Kaminarimon, you'll find this shop that has been around since 1920. It used to be a Chinese restaurant in front of Kaminarimon. Now it's a direct sales shop carrying on that same taste. The meat buns were featured in the magazine BRUTUS as the best souvenir and mail-order item in Japan. They have a thick, fluffy, slightly sweet skin filled with a hearty meat filling, giving it a satisfying texture. It's not very juicy, though. The steamed rice cakes contain pork and dried shrimp, with a simple soy sauce flavor that is delicious. The mixed dumplings include pork, shrimp, and crab, but they are on the light side and may leave you wanting more. Not quite to my taste, but overall, it was a good meal.

I returned to the sushi street and went to the shop that used to be located on Kaminarimon Street, called Seika Hanten. I bought a large steamed pork bun and a chimaki because I was a little hungry. The bun had a lightly sweet skin and a moist filling, although there seemed to be less filling than before. Nearby, there is a famous shop called Sekine that also sells pork buns, but theirs are juicier, so if you're eating on the go, the ones I bought are easier to eat. The chimaki had well-seasoned sticky rice and tender braised pork, and I was very satisfied with it. They also have spicy pork buns and vegetable pork buns that are highly recommended. Both the pork bun and the chimaki are filling, making them perfect for when you're feeling a bit peckish. Although it's not yet a popular spot, if it gets featured on TV or something, it's likely to become popular in no time. Thank you for the meal.

I decided to buy some items from the nostalgic Seika Restaurant's direct sales section. I purchased a small meat bun (180 yen, with a bland skin and unique tasting filling, but the small size was not impressive), a Chinese sticky rice dumpling (340 yen, with a large piece of pork and elegant taste), and a tofu skin sticky rice dumpling (350 yen, with a block of yuba and similar taste). I personally think that the sticky rice dumplings are more delicious than the meat bun.

I am thrilled to see that the dim sum and noodles from the former Chinese restaurant, Seika Restaurant, are making a comeback as a sales department on Sushiya Street! I used to enjoy their meat buns a lot, so I am happy about this. The catchphrase for this place now mentions their meat buns, which have a unique dough made with a natural yeast starter called "lao mian." It is difficult to find this kind of flavor in Asakusa or Ueno, so it's a special treat. The steamed buns have a distinct elasticity on the surface, and the dough inside is very sweet and delicious. The meat filling is just like the ones from the original Seika Restaurant, so I am glad to see it back. I don't know the reasons why the original shop closed down, but I hope these meat buns will be around for a long time to come! 😄

I visited "Seika Restaurant Asakusa Direct Sales Office", a specialty shop for nikuman (steamed pork buns) and shumai (steamed dumplings), located a 5-minute walk from TX Asakusa Station. I arrived around 1:30 pm on Sunday and there was no wait. I was able to pay easily. I purchased 2 large nikuman for 300 yen each and received them frozen. The nikuman were packed full of filling, with plenty of flavor from the ground meat, and the chewy skin was delicious. I enjoyed them until the last bite.

It has been a while since the restaurant closed down and only the direct sales store, Seika Restaurant, remains. I used to enjoy the dim sum at Seika Restaurant, so I decided to try the pork shumai (6 pieces for 590 yen) and the pan-fried dumplings (10 pieces for 760 yen). The pork shumai tasted similar to the ones I had at Korakuen Stadium and Haneda Airport, and the pan-fried dumplings were juicy and delicious, with a well-seasoned flavor.

While strolling around Asakusa, I stumbled upon this place near Sushiya Street after turning from Shin-Nakamise Street. It was cold, so I decided to stop and have a meat bun for 290 yen. It was convenient that I could take it to go and it was quite delicious. I think it's a good option for a quick snack when you're a little hungry. Asakusa has so much to offer, it's really fun!

I always buy the steamed buns, spicy buns, and pork belly buns here. They are delicious when steamed at home. I like the skin as well because it's tasty. I have been buying them for a long time. They used to have a restaurant, but now they only have a direct sales store. I hope they continue to do well because their food is delicious.

I have loved this place for about half a century. I felt lonely when Asakusa disappeared for a while, and every time I saw chimaki at other stores, it reminded me of this place. Nowadays, home refrigerators have improved, making it easy to have them on hand, so I didn't bother writing a review on food blogs. Even though I can take photos easily now, I will purposely find the oldest photo and upload it. This is the pinnacle of classic Chinese chimaki.