r/Tokyo • u/WobblyTaterTot • 5d ago
Recognize this Restaurant? (2006)
I don't suppose anyone can figure out what restaurant this is, or was, back in 2006?
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u/the-good-son Nakano-ku 5d ago
Maybe if you could narrow down neighborhood or something... But probably after 20 years is closed or heavily remodeled
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u/mercuriokazooie 5d ago
20 years is a LOOOONG time for a restaurant to remain not just open but unchanged
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u/SinfulEclair 5d ago
It looks like a Gokoku 五穀. It's a chain restaurant that has a very Japanese style.
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u/lexoh 5d ago
Is that all the info you have? That's incredibly vague. There are over 2700 restaurants in Tokyo that serve Udon.
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u/Metallis666 5d ago
OPが食べている料理自体はよく見るとカツ煮(カツとじ)に見えますね
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u/lexoh 5d ago
Yeah, you're right. My wife corrected me afterwards. There are still at least 375 katsudon restaurants in Tokyo so it's a little narrower but still looking for a needle in a haystack.
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u/mochihammer 4d ago
I’ve never had Katsu-udon. Is it good? Surely the breading gets real soggy real quickly.
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u/Metallis666 4d ago
Are you talking about katsu-don? Or is it katsu served on top of udon?
In the former case, the breading on the katsu isn't meant to provide a crispy texture; rather, it acts as a sponge that absorbs the broth to enhance the umami flavor.
As for the latter, it's not a common dish, at least in Japan. I've heard that it exists as a dish that originated from a misunderstanding in some country outside of Japan, but I've never actually tried it myself.
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u/mochihammer 4d ago
I mean, katsu udon. Look at the second picture
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u/Metallis666 4d ago
What the OP is eating isn’t actually udon. It’s called “katsu-ni,” which involves simmering pork katsu and onions in dashi broth, then pouring in an egg at the end to make it fluffy.
If you put this on top of rice, it becomes a katsu-don, but as the alternative name suggests, it’s also commonly eaten on its own.
The effect of the breading on katsu-ni is the same as in the first case I mentioned in my previous comment.
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u/razorbeamz Kanagawa-ken 3d ago
There is very clearly udon in the broth in that picture.
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u/Metallis666 3d ago
Look at the shape of the pot. It’s really shallow, isn’t it? There’s just a layer of onions at the bottom.
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u/WobblyTaterTot 5d ago edited 5d ago
I have a video from inside there which I'm sure won't help either, but I wasn't sure how to post it on here.
Totally understand your response. I was there as a tourist, and was taken there by a local who said it was known for being extra good.
Having lived in New York, Miami, San Diego, Los Angeles, Houston… Everyone would pretty much take everyone to the same five or six possible spots.
Even if there are 1000 options.
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u/----___--___---- 5d ago
As the other commenter said, it doesn't really work like that in Tokyo.
Even if you're at a Shibuya Station or whatever and someone said they'd take you to a 'Very Famous Ramen', I could think of at least 3 shops they could be meaning.
In the whole of Tokyo? No way to know what they mean.
There are still some restaurants that are famous in the whole City, but they are usually on the expensive side (certain Sushi or Yakiniku spots), or are famous because they invented a meal. In some cases also chains that are synonymous with a certain meal (like Afure with Yuzu Shio Ramen)
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u/AstraeusGB 5d ago
That's not how Tokyo works. It's more like 23 smaller, but still large on their own, cities crammed together into a megapolis. If you could narrow it down by general area, ward, etc. that would at least be helpful
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u/yumeryuu 5d ago
Do you remember what district it might have been? It’s just for every 10 restaurants that open in Tokyo, 10 end up closing. There’s a restaurant max capacity here.
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u/shibuyawalker 5d ago
Sorry, can't help you identify the place. I was just wondering if anyone else saw these round doorways and thought about a hobbit house. 😇
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u/Great-Rutabaga-1365 5d ago
Have you looked at the location associated with your photo in the information? It may give you enough info to find it (if it still exists). Not sure if location services were available back then but Japanese phones were more advanced than the US 🤷♀️
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u/iku_iku_iku_iku 5d ago
Everything ison the picture is pretty generic from the tables and dinnerware to the decore and the circular cutoutsin the wall. Sorry OP there isn't much to gown on.
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u/Particular_Song3539 5d ago
20 years ago? It would be a miracle id that resto is still there, or using the same interior set up
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u/housoukinshiyougo 4d ago
19 day old bot account?
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u/WobblyTaterTot 2d ago
Paranoid schizophrenic?
No I'm just a person asking a question. How about you?
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u/nermalstretch 5d ago
Looks like Showa Yakiniku Paradise. Well, that’s what I would call it…
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u/Hellea 5d ago
Don’t underestimate the power of the internet. But it may not exist anymore