Menchanko-tei combines noodles with conventional sumo meals for a meal that’s turn out to be standard in Japan and america.
Every time 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 fulfil his noodle goals.
▼ Menchanko-tei was born in Hakata Metropolis, Fukuoka, in 1980 — the identical yr as Masanuki’s start.
The title of the restaurant combines the phrase “tei” (“restaurant“) with “males” (“noodles“) and “chanko“, a standard hotpot dish eaten by sumo wrestlers, and this mixture of meals is strictly what the chain serves up.
▼ Menchanko
The thought for the weird dish took place 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. Whereas the sumo wrestlers would normally add noodles to the hotpot in direction of the tip 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 turned so standard the restaurant grew to include quite a few branches, together with one in Hawaii and one on the World Commerce Heart in New York.
On the Hakozaki department, the place Masanuki visited, they pay homage to the now-lost World Commerce Heart 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 Floor Zero was a surprisingly emotional expertise, and Masanuki had no concept that there was such a connection between this restaurant and the World Commerce Heart.
This abroad connection gave Masanuki an excellent larger sense of gratitude for having the ability to style the menchanko, and he adopted the advice of workers by ordering the traditional “Ganso (Unique) Menchanko”, with a mochi rice cake, for 820 yen (US$5.70).
▼ Chanko Nabe is a famously hearty meal, and the chewy rice cake added additional carbs to the combination.
The way in which it was served, in a metallic pot for one, gave this humble hotpot an aesthetic class, and when Masanuki took a sip of the broth, he was blown away by the depth of flavour.
This complexity is a results of all of the substances being simmered collectively, and having the noodles in there from the start, somewhat than on the finish, when little greater than the broth stays, made this dish really feel distinctive to Masanuki.
It was form of like consuming probably the most hearty ramen you’ve ever tasted, with all kinds of substances, 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 weird dish if you’re within the space.
It’s a good way to get a style of the sumo world, the place dashi is a crucial ingredient, and expertise a few of what goes on behind-the-scenes to assist the sumo wrestlers.
Associated: Menchanko-tei retailer checklist
Photographs ©SoraNews24
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