A note on the words: chicken nanban is fried chicken dipped in a sweet-sour vinegar sauce and topped with rich tartar sauce, originally from Miyazaki; here it comes with a thin sauce that balances the sweetness and acidity against the tartar sauce. Soki refers to Okinawan stewed pork ribs, motsu nikomi is a slow-simmered stew of offal, and kurobuta is Japanese Berkshire black pork, which appears here grilled with miso.
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Nanshu Sakaba Tegetege on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Hello, this is Hangover Meshi. I dropped by “Nanshu Sakaba Tegetege,” a well-kept secret in Kojimachi, to try their chicken nanban for lunch! This place is, I’m fairly sure, unrelated to the izakaya chain with the bird logo, and has a wonderful hideaway vibe.
To my surprise, it was completely full just 15 minutes after opening! Quite the popular spot!
Chicken nanban — 900 yen
Soki — 900 yen
Chicken with scallion sauce — 900 yen
Motsu nikomi — 900 yen
Hamburg steak in beef stew — 900 yen
The lunchtime lineup offers plenty of variety — chicken nanban, soki, chicken with scallion sauce, motsu nikomi, and hamburg steak in beef stew — so whatever you pick seems hard to get wrong! On top of that, large rice is free, and letting you choose the portion size to cut down on food waste is a wonderful initiative, isn’t it? After debating for a bit, I went with the chicken nanban!
After a short wait, the chicken nanban arrived before me: large, juicy pieces of chicken with a generous helping of rich tartar sauce! Plus, it comes with a salad and miso soup, so the nutritional balance is well covered too.
Taking a bite, the savoriness of the chicken spreading across the palate matches exquisitely with the richness of the tartar sauce. The nanban sauce is thin rather than thick, striking a nice harmony between sour and sweet, and goes wonderfully with the tartar sauce. It’s plenty filling, and with plenty of vegetables (cabbage) served alongside, you leave feeling very satisfied.
Lots of vegetables and different items make it a welcome lunch. No wonder so many people were ordering large rice.
After the meal, the staff sent me off with warm smiles. Such pleasant service must surely be one of the reasons people want to keep coming back. If you’re looking for a proper, hearty meal in Kojimachi, I definitely recommend Nanshu Sakaba Tegetege!
Next time I’m thinking of trying the kurobuta pork grilled with miso! There are still plenty of tempting items on the menu, making this a spot you want to visit again and again. For lunch, my recommendation is without question the chicken nanban — a plate packed with flavor and generous volume!
Nanshu Sakaba Tegetege (Izakaya / Kojimachi Station, Hanzomon Station, Nagatacho Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
