Chimi Hanten "Ebi Okoge Ankake" / 知味飯店 エビおこげあんかけ
Another Kitanataurant eat-in.
*It used to be called Kitanachelin, but according to Chimi Hanten's owner, originator Michelin had complained to Fuji TV and they had to change the name and the statue figure.
Going back to the post about Tohakkei >>> http://chobiro47.blogspot.jp/2012_08_16_archive.html you can still see the statue kind of looks like Michelin Boy and the label says "Kitanachelin."
I happened to watch this episode when they're showing this little Chinese place in Koenji Minami, and I thought I could go.
It was about 5 minutes walk from Higashi Koenji station (Marunouchi subway line).
I walked along the loop 7 ("Kan Nana" which we call and is an abbreviated version of Kanjo-sen Nana go), then once I got to Ookubo Dori (Ookubo street), I made a right turn.
Less than 10 meters, it's there.
However, I almost walked pass without knowing it's there.
The reason is simple.
The sign wasn't bright enough and seriously it looked like an empty and robbed house.
Here're some photos I took...
Opening the sliding door, I heard a loud music which sounded like Koran, then he stopped the music and welcomed me with a big but a little bit shy smile.
Soon he said, "I'm not an evil strange cult, don't worry, hahaha!"
I laughed so hard but it's not only the beginning but never-ending since he's simply funny and a really caring person.
I was the only customer at the moment and he explained to me it was a "No play" which is a traditional masked dance drama.
He's from Miyagi prefecture and his hobby is No play.
Inside of this eat-in, there're several posters and photos of him with others who seemed to be somebody famous (but I didn't recognize any of them).
As the TV show went on air on July 26, 2012, it was crazily busy till the last week; like a non-stop flood of customers.
There're 3 tables with 3-4 chairs each.
Most of the chairs' cover were ripped and the table-cloth had a lot of stains.
I sat one of the table anyway and ordered Ebi Okoge Ankake.
As the regular size seemed really big so I asked him to make it smaller.
He asked me how much I wanted and also how much the charge should be.
So I asked him to cook 1,000 yen amount of food.
This is so nice. I was happy to pay the regular price for a smaller portion, which is 1,200 yen, but he offered me to deduct some price off.
Rough explanation for Ebi Okoge Ankake.
Ebi is shrimp and Okoge is fried rice cake.
Ankake is a starchy Chinese sauce with vegetables and seafood.
So this dish is starchy sauce with shrimp over fried rice cakes.
After he took my order, I asked him a permission to take photos of the Kitanataurant-related goods inside of the shop.
He kindly said ok.
On the left wall, there's a certificate with 2 and half stars.
The reason why it wasn't 3 stars was due to the owner's dingy hat.
On the right wall, there's a famous autograph of "Pelé," a Brazilian soccer player but signed by Mr. Noritake Kinashi.
He signs on walls sometimes when he feels like and the sign "Pelé" is a joke.
(I don't remember when and how it started.)
Under the Pelé sign, there's a board of autograph from Ton'neruzu (comedian duo), Arisa Mizuki (actress), and Yurika Mita (Fuji TV anchorwoman).
And the famous and honorable statue was located at the back of the room.
The owner said that he first had placed this statue near the certificate, which is closer to the door, then some of the customers warmed him that these statues have been sold on internet for 100,000 JPY so he'd better keep it somewhere safe.
That's why he moved this statue to the backside of the place.
While I was taking photos, he's cooking my dishes and the sound of frying rice cakes was already delicious.
Sometimes he came back and took another customer's order, who seemed to come here often.
Also he asked me if the A/C was too strong and he could shut it off anytime.
He served me fried rice cakes on a plate first, and he poured the starchy sauce over them at the table.
"Eat the sound," he said because he thinks hearing the sound is a part of dish, so he wants to pour the sauce and let customers hear the crackling noise.
Shrimp, broccoli, squid, clam, carrots, Jew's-ear mushroom, and Chinese cabbage are in the sauce.
The sauce was smooth and had decent thickness.
He brought a bottle of salt, but I didn't have to use it as it was just so tasty without extra salt.
As I prefer light taste, it was so perfect.
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Another Kitanataurant eat-in.
*It used to be called Kitanachelin, but according to Chimi Hanten's owner, originator Michelin had complained to Fuji TV and they had to change the name and the statue figure.
Going back to the post about Tohakkei >>> http://chobiro47.blogspot.jp/2012_08_16_archive.html you can still see the statue kind of looks like Michelin Boy and the label says "Kitanachelin."
I happened to watch this episode when they're showing this little Chinese place in Koenji Minami, and I thought I could go.
It was about 5 minutes walk from Higashi Koenji station (Marunouchi subway line).
I walked along the loop 7 ("Kan Nana" which we call and is an abbreviated version of Kanjo-sen Nana go), then once I got to Ookubo Dori (Ookubo street), I made a right turn.
Less than 10 meters, it's there.
However, I almost walked pass without knowing it's there.
The reason is simple.
The sign wasn't bright enough and seriously it looked like an empty and robbed house.
Here're some photos I took...
== Without flash ==
If there hadn't been a light sign board, I'd have totally missed this place.
== With the flash on ==
== Cover above the front sliding door ==
And the plastic board above the front door was NOT fully covered.
There should be 3 panels but only one was left.
== From the other side of the road ==
See? It looks like a house.
I doubt if it's easy to find this during daytime either.
Opening the sliding door, I heard a loud music which sounded like Koran, then he stopped the music and welcomed me with a big but a little bit shy smile.
Soon he said, "I'm not an evil strange cult, don't worry, hahaha!"
I laughed so hard but it's not only the beginning but never-ending since he's simply funny and a really caring person.
I was the only customer at the moment and he explained to me it was a "No play" which is a traditional masked dance drama.
He's from Miyagi prefecture and his hobby is No play.
Inside of this eat-in, there're several posters and photos of him with others who seemed to be somebody famous (but I didn't recognize any of them).
As the TV show went on air on July 26, 2012, it was crazily busy till the last week; like a non-stop flood of customers.
There're 3 tables with 3-4 chairs each.
Most of the chairs' cover were ripped and the table-cloth had a lot of stains.
I sat one of the table anyway and ordered Ebi Okoge Ankake.
As the regular size seemed really big so I asked him to make it smaller.
He asked me how much I wanted and also how much the charge should be.
So I asked him to cook 1,000 yen amount of food.
This is so nice. I was happy to pay the regular price for a smaller portion, which is 1,200 yen, but he offered me to deduct some price off.
Rough explanation for Ebi Okoge Ankake.
Ebi is shrimp and Okoge is fried rice cake.
Ankake is a starchy Chinese sauce with vegetables and seafood.
So this dish is starchy sauce with shrimp over fried rice cakes.
After he took my order, I asked him a permission to take photos of the Kitanataurant-related goods inside of the shop.
He kindly said ok.
On the left wall, there's a certificate with 2 and half stars.
The reason why it wasn't 3 stars was due to the owner's dingy hat.
== Certificate ==
Same as the Kitanachelin, this declares that this place is filthy but provides good plates.
Under the certificate, there's a collage of the TV show.
He said one of the customers made this for him.
== Collage ==
On the right wall, there's a famous autograph of "Pelé," a Brazilian soccer player but signed by Mr. Noritake Kinashi.
He signs on walls sometimes when he feels like and the sign "Pelé" is a joke.
(I don't remember when and how it started.)
== Pelé sign ==
== Autograph ==
== Statue ==
That's why he moved this statue to the backside of the place.
While I was taking photos, he's cooking my dishes and the sound of frying rice cakes was already delicious.
Sometimes he came back and took another customer's order, who seemed to come here often.
Also he asked me if the A/C was too strong and he could shut it off anytime.
He served me fried rice cakes on a plate first, and he poured the starchy sauce over them at the table.
"Eat the sound," he said because he thinks hearing the sound is a part of dish, so he wants to pour the sauce and let customers hear the crackling noise.
Once he started pouring, the sound was really loud and it smelled really flavory.
And it is ready to eat.
The sauce was smooth and had decent thickness.
He brought a bottle of salt, but I didn't have to use it as it was just so tasty without extra salt.
As I prefer light taste, it was so perfect.
== Chopstick cover ==
This chopstick cover seems it's a fancy restaurant.
He brought another plate and said, "It's from me, free of charge."
In a small plate, 3 slices of tomatoes and some cucumbers.
I don't like mayo so I took off the mayo a bit and ate them.
The dressing on tomatoes was a little bit sour and delicious.
I should have asked him what kind of dressing it was.
When I ate all the dishes and paid him, he only charged me 1,000 yen as he said.
I asked him if I could take a photo of him with the dirty hat, then he said sure.
Then a couple sat behind me said one of them could take a photo for me with him.
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When I was about to leave the place, he saw me off at the sliding door and said, "Please take care and be safe on your way home. It's dark outside."
It was really kind of him.
I couldn't write much here how kind and talkative he is, but the dish was great and normal price, it's worth trying this place and see how funny the owner is.
Chimi Hanten / 知味飯店
1-34-7 Koenji Minami,
Suginami-ku, Tokyo
東京都杉並区高円寺南1-34-7
Open everyday: 11:00AM - 3:00PM, 5:00PM - 10:00PM
年中無休
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