Chichibu, Saitama, Japan｜餃子菜苑

The restaurant has 5 counter seats and 3 4-person tables in the tatami room. It feels quite small, so it is not suitable for travelers with large luggage. Orders are written on paper, but customers who appear to be locals order verbally. It's a pain to lose time and have to switch places with subsequent customers. A middle-aged woman is cooking alone, so it takes a lot of time. Tanmen has plenty of vegetables. It has a refreshing salty taste and is very delicious. Bean sprout soba is soy sauce ramen topped with hot, melty stir-fried bean sprouts. Because it uses extra-fine bean sprouts, it mixes well with the thin noodles and is delicious. Gyoza is small. It's cheap at 300 yen for 6 pieces, but it doesn't feel like much value and is not enough.

If you're tired of eating good food, you'll definitely love this restaurant. The store's modest appearance, oil-stained wallpaper, and overgrown cushions are far from clean or fashionable. In front of the TV, an elderly woman with weak legs was stationed, her eyes fixed on the audience as if to see what was going on. In the kitchen, a young man is still silently preparing the food that has been ordered. Inside the store, there are photos and other items that show that this local Chinese restaurant has been doing business in this location for a long time. The customer base was mostly local regulars rather than tourists, and I was met with a lot of suspicious looks from an old woman who seemed to be looking at me through the noren curtains looking for curiosities like me. I ordered three things: Chinese noodles, fried rice, and gyoza. There is no such thing as a set menu at this restaurant. However, the price per item is quite low, so it probably won't feel expensive. At least I remember that the volume and quality were more than adequate for the price. The Chinese soba is a really basic style with a chicken bone base, and although the noodles feel a little overcooked, the thin curly noodles and soup mix well and go smoothly with your chopsticks. The dumplings were not ready-made, but hand-wrapped, and I paid my respects to this young man, who was probably in charge of all the cooking. Chili oil, soy sauce, and vinegar and pepper go well with the red bean paste, which brings out the sweetness of the cabbage. The fried rice tasted a little oily, but that was due to the quality of the cooking oil used, and it was a dish that clearly showed the skill of the cook. The fried rice comes with Chinese soup, but the flavor of the fried rice is not strong enough, so I think it would be better to use a little more flavorful vegetables or Chinese soup stock. I would have liked it even more if it had included short vermicelli noodles, but this was probably superfluous. I really appreciate the existence of this restaurant when I'm spending a night alone in Chichibu.

He doesn't try to please the customers, but instead just joins in... The main customer becomes one with the "Great Showa" style, which is now a national treasure! You won't be able to get gyoza (dumplings) whose skins are stretched after you order them anywhere else! Pour alcohol from a sho bottle placed on the table and declare it yourself! Jajangmen is also delicious! Stir-fried wood ear mushrooms are also delicious!