Nagoya style udon stew at Yaesu, Tokyo

In the vicinity of Tokyo station lays a neighborhood full of restaurants, cafes and bars. Some people refer to this area as the mecca of Tokyo gourmet.

Salarymen, tourists… basically everybody comes around here for good food. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, you have an endless list to choose from.

In the Yaesu Shopping Mall, there are rows and rows of restaurants. The shopping mall is directly connected to the station, making it a perfect destination on a rainy day!

Today, I am going to introduce you to “Tamacho Honten”, where you can enjoy the Nagoya local specialty, nikomi udon, or udon stew.

It’s my first visit to the restaurant, and I’m excited to try their nikomi udon, they claim to be authentic.

The open and clean entrance gives a welcoming feel.

The room is quite spacious. The tables can accommodate different sizes of customer groups.

There are paper aprons on the table, so no need to worry about splashing your shirt with soup!

Miso flavor curry udon

Nagoya is famous for its local kishimen (flat noodles) and miso stew udon. But looking at the menu, it’s the “miso flavor curry udon” that caught my attention. So this udon soup is miso and curry flavor… I’m down for that!

After about ten minutes, the udon pot is brought to me. I hear the sizzling sound of the soup underneath the lid!

I open the lid to find lots of vegetables! Cauliflower, okra, eggplant and paprika, to name a few. It also has chicken and of course, lots of udon!

It looks really hot. I decide to take a sip using the Chinese spoon.
I never knew miso and curry went so well together!!! I can drink this endlessly!

Completely different texture from the Tokyo style udon

The texture of the udon is completely different from the soft kind you get in Tokyo. If the Tokyo style udon is elastic, Nagoya style udon is dry and chewy.

Just one bite, and I’m completely hooked!
The flat and thick noodles go past firm, and are kind of hard. But it’s such an addicting texture!

The vegetables are nice and firm. The distinct flavor of each vegetable comes alive in the soup.

The miso and curry flavor has completely warmed me up from the inside.
It’s the perfect dish for the coming cold season.

writer：Yoko