Yes, we do have a favorite restaurant. It's not on the main strip so how we came to find it is still a mystery to me. Several years ago, while walking about the streets and alley's of Chinatown, hungry and with an even hungrier toddler crying on us, we came upon a restaurant with a red facade. The display of food in their window showed several different noodle dishes which seemed unusual since most of the other restaurants did not display noodles or if they did, they were typically ramen type noodles. So we went inside, and were seated immediately. We were offered a menu written in engrish, (robster??), thank goodness and ordered our meal.
Why should I tell you about all of this? Because of their noodles, those wonderfully chewy, yet light noodles, resting in a rich, sweet and spicy beef broth, topped with chunks of tender beef and leafy green vegetables. Oh Heaven! Dao Xiao Mian! That is what the noodles are called. They are one of the delicacies originating from Shanxi provence including black vinegar which is drunk as well as used as a cooking ingredient. Why should I mention the black vinegar? Because that is how I find the restaurant. I walk along the main strip of Chinatown and make a left at the place where they sell the black vinegar and coconuts. I can also keep walking until I get to the toy panda bears and make a left there too.
Here a few links I've found that might be interesting to you noodle fans. One is about a noodle master in Boston and another is an indietrekker video blog on Beijing Noodles. Should you come to visit us in Japan, we would certainly take you to Chinatown and of course our favorite restaurant, Kyokarou Honkan.
Now let me show you some of my favorite photos of Chinatown, Yokohama, Japan.
