Established in 1976, the popular "Chanpon" restaurant "Spice" in Higashi-Murayama, which has been loved for 45 years, closed last year on October 25th due to elevated railway construction. There were rumors of relocation and reopening, but a year passed, and on this day (November 19th), it reopened in a new location! Previously, it was located near the level crossing of the Seibu Shinjuku Line along Fuchu Kaido, but the new store is next to FamilyMart on Shiyakusho-dori in front of the Higashi-Murayama City Hall. This location used to be where "Kono Monogatari," a curry restaurant during the day and a motsu restaurant at night, operated. It is an 8-minute walk from Kumegawa Station and over 10 minutes from Higashi-Murayama Station if using public transportation. The address remains the same, in Higashi-Murayama City Honcho. Despite being close in distance, the new location on Shiyakusho-dori has less traffic and fewer pedestrians compared to the busy Fuchu Kaido. The new store is smaller in scale, without a parking lot, and faces unfavorable conditions. Nevertheless, the reopening in this area is significant as an essential soul food restaurant in Higashi-Murayama. Upon arrival at the restaurant after 2 pm, it was unfortunately full, with only one family waiting outside. There were a few other customers inside, and it didn't seem as crowded as expected, perhaps because the reopening had not been widely recognized yet. There is a staircase next to the entrance leading to the second floor, where customers were seen carrying ramen and gyoza dishes. It seems like the second floor operates on a self-service basis. The kitchen is run by the chef alone, with only one female staff member handling customer service, which may explain the self-service setup. Despite the challenging conditions, the atmosphere feels welcoming and homey. After a short wait, the previous customers started leaving. Upon entering, there was no ticket machine, so orders were placed at the register, and payment was made in advance. The menu includes "Chanpon" for ¥800, "Half Chanpon" for ¥650, "Spice Ramen (soy sauce, salt)" for ¥850, "Chashu Noodles" for ¥1000, "Soy Sauce Ramen" for ¥700, "Salt Ramen" for ¥700, and "Half Ramen" for ¥580. The recommended menu item is the "Special Chanpon" (topped with pork loin fried chicken, spicy sauce) for ¥900. Until 2 pm, there is a lunchtime set where you can add a ¥300 menu item (2 gyoza, half rice, refillable) for an additional ¥80. Despite it being past 2 pm on that day, the lunch set was still available, so I ordered the "A Set Special Chanpon" for ¥980! The first floor of the restaurant has seven counter seats, with additional seating upstairs. Sitting at the counter, each seat is separated by acrylic dividers. On the table, there was a water jug and glasses for self-service cold water. Condiments included soy sauce, chili oil, vinegar, and white pepper. The chopsticks were eco-friendly. After a short wait, the "Special Chanpon" and "Half Rice" were served! The bowl had a round and thick rim. The soup was a creamy animal-based broth, with ingredients such as pork loin fried chicken, cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, wood ear mushrooms, kamaboko, Satsuma-age, shrimp, and octopus. Trying the soup, it had a gentle and creamy taste that was comforting. I had recently tried "Tokyo Chanpon" at a new restaurant in front of Ishigami Koen Station, and while the flavors were similar, this comforting sensation was missing from the Tokyo Chanpon. There was a subtle difference that was hard to describe, but there was something unique about the difference between a corporate chain and a small personal restaurant. The noodles were special medium-thick noodles from Kanosho Seimenjo, chewy and with a good texture that complemented the soup perfectly. The overall taste was exceptional, with the noodles absorbing the soup's flavors harmoniously. Finally, the pork loin fried chicken. A symbolic dish of "Spice." The meat was thinly sliced and crispy, adding a delightful crunch to the soup.

I had the A set for lunch. The champon is delicious, I think it's tonkotsu because of the creamy white soup with plenty of vegetables and a strong presence of meat. The gyoza, although only 2 pieces, have large fillings so it's enough as part of the set. The white rice is also tasty. I pour the soup over the rice and enjoy the ramen porridge as the last part. And all of this for under 1,000 yen, so it's quite a good deal. I can see why it's popular... I would give it an 80 out of 100.

The restaurant is a bit far from the station, but when I arrived, it was full and there was one person waiting outside. It seems to be a popular place, so it's understandable. This situation ignited my fighting spirit. The A set costs 980 yen. The signboard of the shop says "Soul food of Higashimurayama" and "Special Chanpon, Homemade Gyoza". I ordered a set that includes both. The interior of the shop is new. I was soon shown to my seat. The counter seats are packed tightly with the neighboring seats. It's not very comfortable, but it's unavoidable. The second floor seems to have self-service seating. Now, my set is the A set, so there is a thin pork cutlet on top of the "Chanpon" with a spicy sauce. The person next to me has the B set, which is 100 yen cheaper. The Chanpon has a rich and flavorful broth. Even without the cutlet, it might be just as good. The taste is subjective, but without the spicy flavor mixing in, you can fully enjoy the Chanpon soup. The gyoza is plump and large, and even just two pieces provide a satisfying meal. There is plenty of chopped garlic inside. The rice is refillable, so I left feeling full. I thought it was a curry restaurant based on the name, but it turned out to be different.

In early March 2023, on a weekend afternoon, I visited Spaice, which had closed due to the Seibu Line elevated construction. I found out through an online search that they had reopened at a new location near the city hall. It had been about six months since I last visited, so I was happy to hear they were back in business. The new shop is a bit smaller than before, but I was just happy they were open again. The first floor was full, so I was guided to the second floor. Upstairs, there were two table seats, each accommodating around 6 people. I ordered the special Champon with Gyoza and half rice set. The special Champon with pork loin tempura was delicious. The Gyoza was quite large, maybe 1.5 times the size of a typical chain's Gyoza. I enjoyed the juicy Gyoza and finished by adding rice to the Champon soup. Although the menu has been reduced and there are fewer seats, I was satisfied to be able to enjoy the special Champon that I thought I might never have again. Since it's relatively close to my home, I plan to visit again in the future. Thank you for the meal.

☆Special Chanpon (with pork loin karaage) Set A. I ordered with 2 gyoza and half rice (rice refill available) for ¥980. It looked very delicious and the taste was rich and flavorful! The pork loin karaage was sweet and savory, standing out well against the soup. The restaurant was also crowded! *Limited to availability of soup. This is a place where you'll want to come back to in East Musashino.

The first floor has a counter with only 7 seats, and the system for dining on the second floor is to order and pay on the first floor, then use the outdoor staircase to go up to the second floor. I ordered the lunch set A, which came with champon noodles topped with pork, half a bowl of rice, and generously filled large dumplings for only ¥980, which is very reasonable. They also allow for rice refills. The champon soup had a strong seafood broth flavor and was delicious. You can customize the taste with pepper and vinegar to your liking.

- Chose the shop because I happened to pass by and saw that it had reopened, so I wanted to come while it was still fresh in my mind. - Order: Half Chanpon (noodle dish with seafood and vegetables): 650 yen - Impression: The taste of the Chanpon here is different from chain restaurants. So it has reopened, huh... The size was just right for me. It was delicious.

I received the special Chanpon set for 980 yen. Spaice underwent a change and felt lonely, but it's nice to see it revived in a small space behind the city hall. The menu is limited for now, with only Chanpon and ramen available, along with some set meals. It's a small place, so it's understandable. It's a shame they don't have plate udon, but having Chanpon is great. I thought two gyoza was a bit small, but considering the size, it's equivalent to three regular-sized ones. I would give it a recommendation score of 70 points.

It's closer to go from Seibu Shinjuku Line, Kumejima Station. It's about Spice. It has been a year since the beloved Spice in Higashimurayama closed due to the planned elevated line to Higashimurayama Station. Just when I had forgotten about the disappointment of not being able to visit once, I suddenly found out that it had relocated and reopened. The new location is in the same area of Higashimurayama Honcho towards the City Hall Street. The new shop is slightly more compact compared to the previous spacious one. It has a counter with about 7 seats. However, there is also a second floor, which I found out when groups of customers were directed there. I chose the A set for lunch [980 yen], which includes special champon, gyoza, and half rice. The special champon, made with pork loin karaage, is considered the soul food of Higashimurayama Honcho. The champon looked like a version of tonkotsu ramen, and the jumbo gyoza that came later was delicious. The set was a good deal for less than 1000 yen. The champon had a slightly thicker and chewy Chinese noodle-like texture. The pork loin karaage was crispy when freshly fried and tasty even when soaked in the soup. The soup had a unique flavor with a spicy sauce, which was quite delicious. However, the rice was disappointingly mushy, almost like rice porridge. Overall, the meal was satisfying in terms of portion size and taste. The ambiance and the unique champon and ramen menu reflected the shop's long-standing popularity. I was disappointed when it closed, but I'm glad it made a comeback.

I had been curious about this shop since I saw it along the railway tracks. I chose the salt ramen at Space Ramen. The soup was light and clear. The noodles were thin. The famous pork cutlet was served with one big piece. I finished it while saying it was delicious. It was the first time I thought I wanted to come back to a ramen shop. Thank you for the meal!

I had the special Chanpon. The soup, flavored with animal broth, was rich and full of umami. The noodles were medium-thick and straight, with a nice chewiness that paired well with the soup. The spicy sauce on the fried pork loin was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

I had visited the old store before, but when I heard that they had relocated and reopened, I decided to visit again. The new store is completely different in size (I only saw the 1st floor, which is small and can accommodate about 8 people). Once the store fills up with customers, there is quite a wait. This time, I waited for about 20 minutes. Inside the store, there were only two staff members, including the owner, but maybe because it was shortly after the relocation, things seemed a bit disorganized. The dirty dishes were visible in front of us, and the dishwashing seemed a bit sloppy as it was done by hand. Additionally, they were making dumplings right next to us (I hope they improve this). Just as I was thinking about this, the champon that I had ordered while waiting arrived. The taste was just as good as before, delicious (my wife says it's a natural deliciousness without any artificial taste). Thank you for the meal, I will visit again.