A note on the words: a century egg (pidan) is a duck egg cured until the white turns dark amber and the yolk goes dense and creamy. Gochujang is Korean fermented chilli paste. Sui is a Japanese gin flavoured with yuzu, green tea and ginger, usually drunk long with soda.
Chinese Restaurant Kiyoumon, Okachimachi 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.
I mentioned that I wanted to eat lamb, several people gathered, and off we went to Chinese Restaurant Kiyoumon, Okachimachi. It is a place that will do lamb leg and saddle, and a whole roast rabbit besides. In Ikebukuro terms, Jufukuro or Yokizoku Shikikou by the north exit are perhaps the nearest equivalents.
Though it calls itself the Okachimachi shop, the nearest stations are in fact Yushima and Ueno-hirokoji. The stations round here are close together, mind, and it is about a five-minute walk from Okachimachi too.
The building is a hundred times smarter than I had imagined. Perhaps it was rebuilt recently.
I had pictured something like Jufukuro, and it turned out to be a very handsome place indeed.
Right, sat down: first, something to drink.
For the lamb we went for the saddle this time. (The leg and the rabbit are for three or four people; the saddle alone is for two or three.) Looking at the menu there is a great deal else besides, and it would be awkward not to finish it, so we took the smaller saddle and picked at whatever else caught our eye.
Although the lamb alone generally fills you up.
And here it is: the roast saddle of lamb.
As so often, they first set the whole joint up on a skewer and let you photograph it. After that, they take it away, break it down, and bring it back — the usual method. Every place does this.
One does wonder whether the meat that comes back is the same meat.
And so the carved meat arrives. The staff grill it for you. Very welcome.
Turning it over, snipping it up. A great deal of smoke.
Done.
That is a serious quantity.
The toasted, appetising scent of lamb. The pieces they cut for us were divided smaller still, and picking up a bite-sized piece: the surface browned, the inside moist and juicy. Perhaps it is well prepared, because there is almost none of the sheepiness people speak of, and the more you chew, the more the sweet savour of the meat and a well-judged richness of fat spread out. Very good. On the table are four things: a house spice mix, gochujang sauce, rock salt and cumin. Rock salt, cumin, gochujang — each changes the face of it, so one plate can be enjoyed several times over. Toasty lamb makes the beer go down, too.
Though the Sui gin and soda turned out to be the best match, and I drank that all evening.
Large prawns in a thin batter, fried and then dressed generously in a creamy mayonnaise sauce. The sauce is mellow and sweet, with a light acidity in the finish. Bite through the crisp batter and the prawn gives a plump spring and a sweetness. Exactly as rich as it looks. A sense of transgression about it.
Pea shoots glossy with oil, piled up to an almost absurd degree. That is quite a lot for 1,190 yen — at this quantity one may well feel satisfied. Stir-fried quickly over a strong flame, the stems crisp, the leaves wilted. Salt and the scent of garlic bring out the green, soft sweetness of the shoots.
Last, wanting something fresher, I ordered the century egg with tofu. On smooth silken tofu, black and glossy pieces of century egg. Coriander and chopped spring onion alongside, and a fragrant soy dressing poured over. The tofu is cold, the yolk of the century egg dense and sticky.
With the soy dressing and the scent of coriander, it is refreshing.
So — this time, Chinese Restaurant Kiyoumon, Okachimachi. And as expected, the lamb filled me up. The saddle feels like enough for four. There really is a great range of dishes on the menu, and I had wanted to eat a little of rather more of them. Well, I can come again. Next time it might be worth enjoying it without the whole roast at all.
May you meet something good to eat today too.
Chinese Restaurant Kiyoumon, Okachimachi (Chinese / Yushima Station, Ueno-hirokoji Station, Ueno-okachimachi Station)
Tabelog evening rating ★★★☆☆ 3.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.