A note on the words: chuka refers to Japanese-style Chinese cuisine, though the writer here is reminded of a Taiwanese breakfast. Congee is rice porridge cooked down until soft and silky, and the accompanying fried pieces resemble fried gluten or fried bread used to add texture to soups and porridges.
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SMART Chuka Akasaka Mae on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. A spot I discovered while walking through Akasaka! It is a newly opened Chinese restaurant in a hotel called Sotetsu Fresa Inn, boasting modern robot cooking machines and ordering via LINE, so I went to check it out right away. Above all, the exciting part is that it is open in the morning! Having one more spot where you can eat breakfast means you just have to go.
I walked in around 9:30 in the morning, and there was nobody else there — having the whole place to myself! That is not bad at all.
Congee set — 750 yen
Noodle set — 750 yen
I see: morning service runs until 11:00, starting from 6:00 a.m. Being attached to a hotel probably explains the early start. Morning service offers a choice between noodles and congee. It comes with something like fried gluten, giving it the feel of a Taiwanese breakfast, ha. You order via LINE: become friends on LINE, scan the code once more, and the menu appears. If it is robot cooking, they might as well invent an “Akasaka bowl” and serve it right from the morning!
After ordering, the staff mentioned that coffee is self-serve, walked me over to the station, and taught me how to operate the coffee machine. They told me that if you use a paper cup, you are welcome to fill it and take it with you on your way out. It was kind and much appreciated, though surely they cannot keep explaining it to every single customer individually, ha. It feels like posting instructions somewhere would be far more efficient!
And then the noodle set arrived.
Taking a sip of the soup, it is extremely light in flavor! I had been wondering what the pickles were for, but now I understand. A faint scent of dashi broth drifts up gently. I had expected the noodles to be softer, but they were quite firm with a pleasant, crumbly bite. I see — those fried-bread-like pieces have no seasoning on their own, so putting them in the noodles just adds oiliness without deepening the flavor, ha. Eating them together with the pickles makes it just about right. It truly feels like noodles crafted in the spirit of congee.
Well, I wonder if this makes it just right for breakfast. By the way, there is no sense of “robot cooking” about it at all, ha.
It was almost a bit too mild, which left me slightly surprised, but perhaps this is how the real thing is supposed to be. For someone who wants something gentle on the stomach for breakfast, this might be a fine choice. At any rate, having another breakfast spot in the area is more than welcome, so I am hoping the menu expands in the future!
SMART Chuka Akasaka Mae (Chinese / Akasaka Station, Tameike-sanno Station, Akasaka-mitsuke Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.0
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
