A note on the words: Nagasaki champon is a hearty noodle soup from Nagasaki where pork, seafood, and vegetables are stir-fried in a wok and simmered together with thick noodles in a savory broth. Sara udon is its sibling dish, the same stir-fry thickened into a sauce and ladled over the noodles instead of simmered with them.
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Kinyo Tei on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. Standing next to Kisurin, the well-known tantanmen restaurant in Akasaka-mitsuke, is Kinyo Tei. I had always been aware there was a Nagasaki champon shop here, but apparently it has a great reputation for being delicious, and having had it recommended to me, I decided to go check it out. It is the sort of place that draws lines during the weekday lunch rush, so I shifted my timing slightly and arrived just past 1:00 PM.
Champon — 1,000 yen
Sara udon — 1,000 yen
Once seated, they ask you right away: champon or sara udon? Those are presumably the two lunch options. It was a bit chilly that day, so I thought having hot soup would be nice and opted for the champon.
Sitting at the counter is great because you can watch the cooking right in front of you and enjoy the wonderful aromas!
Watching the wok tossed with such practiced skill never gets old! The condiments on the table look like this.
And here is the champon that arrived! Looks fantastic!
Nicely stir-fried vegetables are mounded on top. The champon broth smells wonderful. Taking a first bite: delicious! The plump, slippery, chewy noodles match the rich broth perfectly! It really has quite a proper, authentic flavor. It is loaded with vegetables too, which feels like it must be good for you!
About halfway through, sprinkling on some pepper tightens up the entire flavor and makes it even tastier.
Wow, was it really this good? I should have come here sooner. The broth is so good I felt like finishing every last drop.
I wonder if this might just be the best champon you can get around here.
So, it was incredibly tasty and I heartily recommend it! First off, I want to go back and try the sara udon! I wonder if hardly anyone around me was ordering sara udon simply because it was such a cold day. I would definitely like to give the sara udon a shot and write about it next time.
Kinyo Tei (Chinese / Akasaka-mitsuke Station, Akasaka Station, Tameike-sanno Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.7
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
