I would like to introduce everyone's favorite local Chinese food. There is no cuisine that tests the skill of a chef as much as Chinese cuisine. Knife handling is a prerequisite issue, and it seems that the essence lies in stir-frying. Even if I get one stir-fried meat and vegetables, if the cook changes, I'm like, ``Oh, it was good the other day, but why is it bad today?'' Such disasters sometimes occur. Putting that issue aside, I would like to choose an outstanding restaurant from among the restaurants I have eaten at.

→ Click here for "Everyone loves town Chinese food! Bassey's highly recommended best of the best 3 town Chinese restaurants in Tokyo"

Get off at Shakujii Koen Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line!
A famous Chinese restaurant in town is here.

``Komaka'' is pronounced ``Kouyuka''. This is a store located in Shakujii Park in Nerima Ward that has never been mentioned in the media. It's about a 30-minute drive from my home, but if I don't eat for a while, I get hit with withdrawal symptoms and end up driving away. If it were nearby, I'd probably go there two or three times a week, including for lunch.

I've had many dinner parties here with friends, and in total I've eaten with about 30 people, and I've never had a bad experience. Or rather, everyone was moaning, ``Umee'', ``Umee'', ``Umee'', ``Umee~''. It's like a group of goats. The former vice president of a famous company I ate with liked it so much that he came back many times, even though it was a two-hour train ride from his home.

A splendor that is not typical of small town Chinese food
A furious review of the masterpieces recommended by the author

``Komaka'' is a restaurant run by two Chinese people from Shanghai, the older brother who is the chef, and the younger sister (Mama-san) who works as a server. Homemade decorations decorate the walls, and I can't say that they look cool (bitter smile). However, the taste is so great that you soon don't have to worry about that. Roughly speaking, ``Komataka'' is a restaurant that is somewhere between authentic Chinese food and town Chinese food.

Well, there are many things you must eat here. Therefore, if possible, I would like you to come in a group of 4 or more and use your chopsticks one after the other. Generally speaking, it is best to ask your mom what you should eat that day. Since he is from Shanghai, he seems to be best at Shanghainese cuisine, but he can also cook anything, whether it's Beijing cuisine or Sichuan cuisine. When I heard that he previously worked as a chef at Hokkaien in Nishiazabu, it makes sense.

I would like to introduce some famous dishes that I have eaten over and over again.

First, "stir-fried green beans." Crisply fried green beans are mixed with sweet and salty minced green onion meat, and even though I sometimes run out of green beans, this is a dish that you definitely shouldn't miss. The way the green beans are fried, their aroma, and just the right amount of sweetness will have your stomach gripping from the first dish. It's so delicious that you'll want to have a large plate all to yourself.

Next, "Salt-fried shrimp". The shrimp is shiny and plump, coated in potato starch. The amount of salt is absolutely perfect. It has a light and delicate flavor, and is a dish reminiscent of Shanghai cuisine.

If you don't like spicy peppers (hua jiao), you should definitely try the drooling chicken. The key is the hot sauce poured over the boiled chicken. It's not only spicy, but also rich in flavor, reminiscent of mainland Sichuan cuisine. It's also a good idea to leave the dipping sauce on and add it to other items that come later.

Then there's the "grilled gyoza". It's rather large, with thick skin, thick filling, and plenty of hot meat juice. You could say it's a gyoza similar to grilled xiao long bao. Mom seems confident and always recommends it, no doubt about it. Be careful as the meat juices will spill out. There was a stupid old man with a dirty tie standing next to me telling me to be careful.

What we must not forget is the ``black sweet and sour pork.'' The large fried pork is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The way it is fried is amazing. The seasoning of this black vinegar sauce is outstanding. The fried onions, green peppers, and carrots are also crunchy and add a nice supporting role.

I feel like I'm going to burst! Even if
You should try both fried rice and gomoku yakisoba.

It's about time that your stomach starts to feel good, but you should order both rice and noodles to finish off your meal. There have been many times when I was so full that I had to give up on one side, but I ended up regretting not eating.

First, there's the "soy sauce fried rice." I definitely recommend this over regular white fried rice. This is black fried rice made with rice and pork stir-fried in Chinese soy sauce. It can be said that it is rare to see one in Japan. It's not flaky, but moist. The slightly sweet fermented Chinese soy sauce brings a depth of flavor to the fried rice. The chunky pork was also a nice touch. Once you try it, you'll be addicted.

And the noodles are ``Gomek (bean paste) yakisoba''. It's hard to rate both the rice and the noodles, but I would say that this "Gomek (bean paste) yakisoba" is top class in Tokyo. It's half boiled noodles and half fried noodles, and the gomoku bean paste seasoning is outstanding. I want you to try it anyway. It's guaranteed to make you groan. By the way, I have an acquaintance who goes around eating "Gomeku Ankake Yakisoba", and he declared that this restaurant's dish is one of the best in Tokyo!

Other than that, there are also things to eat such as ``spicy marinated yuba'', ``crispy fried chicken'', ``multi-pot meat'', ``Shanghai-style crab balls'', ``shrimp and egg stir-fry'', ``Gomoku koge'', and ``sanra noodles''. But you can't go wrong. That's right, both the double-pot meat and the charred rice were delicious. I've never tried it, but the ``stir-fried leek'' also looks delicious.

There is something called ``Lion's Head'' (Shanghai-style meat dumplings) that I once tried at the recommendation of my mom. I've had it in Shanghai and Beijing, and it's a fluffy meatball the size of a fist covered in sweet and sour bean paste, and it's my favorite. The food at this store was also excellent. You may be able to eat there if you make a reservation.

Now, I'm curious about the cost, but apart from the cost of alcohol, I don't think it would cost more than 4,000 yen per person after eating so much that I was full.

Koumataka Kouyuka

1F T Building, 3-2-XNUMX Shakujii Park, Nerima-ku, Tokyo
03-6913-3225

Business hours: 11:00-15:00, 17:00-22:30
Closed: Tuesday

Drooling chicken 1,350 yen
550 grilled gyoza XNUMX yen
Black sweet and sour pork 1,650 yen
Gomoku Yakisoba 1,100 yen
Soy sauce fried rice 1,100 yen

*Please note that holidays and prices are subject to change.

What does "If you don't eat this, your life is ruined" mean?
Bassey, an editor with over 40 years of food-loving experience, is rumored to be a Reiwa-era Brillat-Savarin, or even the return of Furukawa Roppa, who rushes west and east to eat every time he hears there's something delicious to eat. A heart-wrenching gourmet essay.

Author profile

Bassey is a foodie who has been eating around for over 40 years. In addition to Japan, he regularly goes to Hong Kong to eat Chinese food at his own expense, and also travels to Taiwan, Singapore, Bangkok, and Seoul for delicious food. During his time as the editor-in-chief of a travel magazine, he visited many Michelin-rated restaurants around the world, especially in Europe, and later on in the World's Best 50 restaurants. We want everyone who loves food to try ``Crab Miso Bean Paste Noodles'' from ``Tenkorou'' (Hong Kong). Actually, I like the Chinese food at this restaurant the best in the world. Another example of the best Western food is "El Seger de Can Roca" from Girona, Spain, which was ranked number one on the World's Best 50 list. Ah, I want to go there again.