I felt like I had exhausted the continent-style Chinese restaurants in the Kanda-Ochanomizu area and the Jimbocho-Suidobashi area, which are the main battlegrounds for lunch. I thought there would be no way I missed any restaurants within a 10-minute walk from my workplace, but of course, there was still an unvisited one. It seems like new Chinese restaurants in the continent-style popular category keep popping up like mushrooms after the rain. One factor that contributes to this is that in the case of continent-style popular Chinese restaurants, even if one closes down, another similar one often takes its place, either under the same ownership with a brand change (such as a shift towards a menu focused on soup-less tantanmen) or under a completely different ownership. However, in many cases, there is some kind of relationship between the owners, or a broker-like organization facilitates the transfer of ownership. In these cases, the employees often stay on. The restaurant I visited for lunch on this day was previously operating under the name "Raku-en," and the current restaurant with the same name as mine took over from the former one. I visited the Raku-en in July 2017, and my review mentions that a lunch companion was highly praising it, giving it a rating of 3.6 points. I believe that in the case of continent-style popular Chinese restaurants, the skill of the head chef is the key factor that determines the restaurant's evaluation. Therefore, I assume that the former restaurant was at a decent level in terms of the food. However, in the case of these types of restaurants, even if there is a name change under the same ownership, it is almost a common practice for the head chef to change. Therefore, even if Raku-en received high praise, it is highly unlikely that the current restaurant has maintained the same level of cooking, so this is something to keep in mind. There are several other restaurants with the same name as mine (such as Hualong Restaurant Kyobashi Main Store, Hualong Restaurant Jimbocho, etc.), and the same was true for the former Raku-en. Therefore, in this case, it is reasonable to assume that there has been a complete change in ownership, and it is expected that the level of cooking has also changed. Of course, I visited with the hope that the change would be for the better. On this day, I had some sudden business in the morning, and there were some follow-up tasks, so I ended up going out for lunch later than usual, arriving at the restaurant around 12:30. The restaurant also sells bento boxes, but it didn't seem very busy. I entered the restaurant. The interior is cramped with only 52 table seats, and there are no partitions or spacing between the seats. Although this lack of consideration is not very welcome, it didn't bother me too much, especially considering that the transition to the fifth stage of the new corona is imminent, and there are not many people in the office area this day. There were about four groups of customers and around ten people in total, but considering it was the peak lunch hour, it was quite empty. However, this day was the last weekday before Golden Week, so it might have been a day with fewer office workers. I sat at a table for four that was available. However, as soon as I sat at the table, I noticed that the floor was sticky. This is a clear yellow card! They should clean it properly. There was a plain lunch menu with only one sheet of paper placed on the table, and the lack of variety in the menu for a continent-style popular Chinese restaurant was disappointing. I am not someone who cares much about appearances, but it didn't put me in a good mood. The cheapest menu item was the braised pork fried rice lunch set for 750 yen, and the menu lacked any new ingredients or specialties like the lunch buffets often seen in recent continent-style popular Chinese restaurants, making me wonder if it was a somewhat outdated type of continent-style popular Chinese restaurant. Considering that this was a new restaurant, this lack of effort was also noticeable. I ordered the braised pork fried rice lunch set for 750 yen. I didn't have high expectations based on the menu, so I chose the cheapest menu item to play it safe. While waiting, I poured myself a glass of water from the table, but the cup smelled (sweaty smell)

Located along Sotobori Street, near the intersection of Tsukasamachi 2-chome, a genuine Chinese restaurant called Karyu Hanten opened in February 2023. Previously, there was a similar Chinese restaurant called Rakuen with a red sign in the same location. There was a sign saying "Get free gyoza with one drink order!!" They also offer a second drink for free! Around 7:00 PM, I entered the restaurant. Inside, there were five tables for four people and four tables for six people. The restaurant was run by the authentic Chinese chef and the female owner. I sat at a table with a view of the TV and looked at the menu. I started with a Hoppy set (462 yen) which seemed more cost-effective than draft beer (506 yen). They served peanuts as a complimentary appetizer (308 yen). Although there were various Chinese appetizers for 380 yen plus tax, I chose the spicy stir-fried hormone dish (935 yen) from the a la carte menu. The dish was generous with hormone (large intestine), wood ear mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and red bell peppers stir-fried in a spicy and numbing sauce. It was extremely spicy and delicious. They served three complimentary gyoza, which were slightly larger in size, with a flavorful filling. I had two refills of Hoppy medium (198 yen). However, they did not bring the second complimentary gyoza dish, as it seems they do not count the second drink as part of the service. The total bill came to 2,073 yen. It was a satisfying meal.

I went to a new restaurant that opened after the closure of a place called Rakuen along Sotobori Street. The lunch menu had more varieties of noodles than set meals, so I decided to try a safe option of soy sauce noodles. I ordered it as a set, and the restaurant was not too crowded when I arrived around 2 PM. I sat at a table for four by myself since there were no small tables available. I was asked if I wanted fried rice or mapo tofu, so I chose fried rice. The tray arrived with soy sauce ramen, half fried rice, salad, and pickled vegetables. The salad seemed to be made with pre-cut vegetables. The soy sauce ramen had a hint of Chinese spices in the soup, which some customers might find unusual. The noodles were curly Chinese noodles with toppings like char siu, bok choy, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, half a boiled egg, green onions, and shredded seaweed. The char siu was thick and satisfying to eat. The fried rice contained egg, carrots, and green onions, but the rice was not properly separated and had clumps. The pickled vegetables were average. Overall, the flavors were quite ordinary and lacked excitement. However, considering the portion size, the meal was affordable. It seems like this new restaurant is aiming to be a budget-friendly option for filling Chinese food in Kanda. It would be more appealing if they added some unique flavors to stand out. It's still early days for them, so I hope they improve over time. Thank you for the meal.

I had lunch with Mapo Tofu. The Mapo Tofu had a good balance of spiciness and numbness, and the seasoning was perfect with rice, making it very delicious. The set also came with a crunchy salad, soup, and pickled vegetables. Thank you for the meal.

I purchased a bento box from a Chinese restaurant around 12:00 on a regular day. I chose the Kung Pao Chicken from the 6 options available, paid 550 yen to what seemed to be a Chinese staff member, and bought it. I ate it right away and first felt the substantial weight and volume. The contents were stir-fried pork, bamboo shoots, and vegetables, a little mapo tofu, rice, one boiled dumpling, and a small portion of pickled vegetables. The stir-fry and rice had a good amount of volume and were satisfying. The mapo tofu had a delicious, authentic Chinese flavor. It was a reasonably priced bento box.