Whenever our reporter Masanuki Sunakoma thinks of the numerous noodle restaurant chains he’d most wish to dine at in Fukuoka, Menchanko-tei at all times involves thoughts. So on a latest journey to the prefecture, he made a beeline for the closest department, the place he was excited to meet his noodle goals.
▼ Menchanko-tei was born in Hakata City, Fukuoka, in 1980 — the identical yr as Masanuki’s start.
The identify of the restaurant combines the phrase tei (“restaurant“) with males (“noodles“) and chanko, a conventional hotpot dish eaten by sumo wrestlers, and this mixture of meals is precisely what the chain serves up.
▼ Menchanko
The concept for the bizarre dish happened when the owner-chef, an avid sumo fan who initially operated an udon restaurant, was impressed by the chanko nabe he ate with sumo wrestlers on the coaching corridor of the 53rd Yokozuna (Sumo Grand Champion) Kotozakura Masakatsu. While the sumo wrestlers would often add noodles to the hotpot in the direction of the top of the meal, Menchanko-tei’s proprietor didn’t see the necessity to wait, discovering it such a scrumptious pairing that he determined to serve them collectively from the get-go, making a meal that grew to become so widespread the restaurant grew to include quite a few branches, together with one in Hawaii and one on the World Trade Center in New York.
At the Hakozaki department, the place Masanuki visited, they pay homage to the now-lost World Trade Center location with a relic that’s extremely shifting — the money register, which was pulled from the rubble.
Being up shut and private to an merchandise that got here all the best way from Ground Zero was a surprisingly emotional expertise, and Masanuki had no concept that there was such a connection between this restaurant and the World Trade Center.
This abroad connection gave Masanuki an excellent larger sense of gratitude for with the ability to style the menchanko, and he adopted the advice of workers by ordering the basic “Ganso (Original) Menchanko”, with a mochi rice cake, for 820 yen.
▼ Chanko Nabe is a famously hearty meal, and the chewy rice cake added further carbs to the combination.
The manner it was served, in a steel pot for one, gave this humble hotpot an aesthetic magnificence, and when Masanuki took a sip of the broth, he was blown away by the depth of taste.
This complexity is a results of all of the components being simmered collectively, and having the noodles in there from the start, fairly than on the finish, when little greater than the broth stays, made this dish really feel distinctive to Masanuki.
It was type of like consuming probably the most hearty ramen you’ve ever tasted, with all kinds of components, together with meat and tofu.
The dashi broth is so tasty you’ll be tempted to recreate it at house, however fortunately you gained’t need to go to the difficulty because the restaurant sells it in take-home bottles for 1,500 yen.
With counter, desk and tatami mat seating areas, all of the Menchako-tei restaurant places are well-suited for {couples}, small teams and solo diners, and with some branches closing at 2 within the morning, you’ll have loads of alternatives to cease by and check out the bizarre dish whenever you’re within the space.
Related: Menchanko-tei retailer listing
Photos ©SoraNews24
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