A note on the words: atama (“head”) is the topping from a rice bowl, which this shop will sell you on its own; add garlic and it becomes the “man’s” version. Chan-tama is their fried rice wrapped in a thin omelette. This article is about putting one on the other.
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Sapporoken Myogadani on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Drinkers, thank you for waiting. It is Hangover Meshi time.
Today, Myogadani. And Myogadani means there is a shop I have wanted to try: Sapporoken Myogadani, a neighbourhood Chinese place founded in 1970. Its speciality is a substantial meat rice bowl — the Boo-Boo-don — which won gold at the Donburi Grand Prix, and it looked very good in the photographs.
A good opportunity, so I dropped in.
Around 19:00, I think. I had braced myself for a queue, but there were only two groups ahead of me. Perhaps because it was still early. Either way, lucky.
I had been thinking of the Boo-Boo-don, but leafing through the menu, you can order just the topping from the meat bowl separately. I see — if you are drinking beer, that is certainly one way to eat. And turning another page, I found a menu item that is essentially an omelette-wrapped fried rice — fried rice wrapped in a thin egg sheet — called chan-tama.
Surely the correct answer is to combine the chan-tama with the meat-bowl topping?
Right, a beer.
That this arrived first shows they understand.
Delighted that they made the thing that goes with beer first. Incidentally, adding garlic to the atama-yaki turns it into the otoko no atama-yaki — the “man’s version”. Well, one does want the garlic.
On a white octagonal plate, thin-sliced pork, onion, nira chives and bean sprouts stir-fried in a sweet-salty sauce. On top, chopped spring onion and a generous heap of grated garlic. Pick some up and the pork is soft, and against the sweet-salty sauce the garlic hits you square on. The sweetness of the onion layers over that, and it is unmistakably stamina food. On its own the seasoning is strong and punchy. Perfect with beer. That garlic is quite something.
Even I thought that might be too much food, so I went for the half size.
Right, let us combine them.
Pile the otoko no atama-yaki onto the egg-covered half chan-tama, and there is my home-made rice bowl. The garlicky sweet-salty pork and its sauce cling to the egg-wrapped fried rice, and the unity of it is beyond question. The atama-yaki, too strong on its own, lands exactly right against the roundness of the fried rice and egg. What was a good drinking snack becomes meat, rice, egg and garlic. Shovel it in and your mouth is full of happiness. This really is very good.
It has been a while since I ate something this gleefully sinful.
Very satisfying indeed.
That was an extremely good rice bowl, exactly as its reputation suggested. I do not often eat something this purely appetite-driven. The viciousness of the grated garlic and the sheer heft of the stir-fried meat, wrapped up in the gentleness of the egg and fried rice. This combination is very good, so if it appeals, do try it. I may not be able to forget this one.
May you meet something good to eat today too.
Sapporoken (ramen / Myogadani Station, Gokokuji Station, Edogawabashi Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.7
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
