Chousuke Nakameguro

One of the better izakayas we went to in terms of food

- Murtaza Javaid -

I had no idea what this place was when I walked in. There's no English anywhere. Google translate said Hakata or Fukuoka cuisine. I got excited because of the photo of udon outside. It's right under the tracks, so you'll constantly hear the train above your head. Seemed like a young crowd of very well dressed couples on dates. I used Google translate to try and decipher the menu and I asked my server for recommendations. It worked. "Today's appetizer" was some sort of jellied fish. It tastes like mackerel. Chopped at the bottom and flavorful, with a rich fish flavored gelatin on top. The flavor was robust and the contrasting be textures were intriguing. I ordered a seafood pancake "chijimi" with squid, clams and shrimp with chili oil. I also ordered a summer udon, with sudachi, a tart citrus fruit. The people around me ordered a lot of small plates of tempura and vegetables and stuff. Also, nonstop drink refills. I kept wondering if I was missing out on some authentic experience, if I was ordering wrong. They brought the pancake first. It was crispy and greasy in the pleasant, pan fried pancake way. The chill sauce added a nice kick and some strong garlic flavor. It had big chunks of seafood, mostly squid and clam with tiny shrimp. At first, most of the flavor was from green onions and clam. The texture was outstanding, crisp on the outside, eggy batter, chewy seafood. Then, the more I ate, the more the seafood flavor blossomed. I guess that's the seafood pancake paradox, it has to cool for the flavor to bloom, but the longer it sits, the less crispy it becomes. The chilled summer udon came topped with citrus and it was gorgeous. The noodles were tender and chewy. The broth had a deep bonito and citrus flavor that was unbelievably refreshing. They brought me some crispy tempura flakes and chili powder, with tiny spoons, so I could add them to the broth and noodles, but I didn't want to add anything. It was heavenly in it's pure form. Look, I'm always enthusiastic about udon. It's definitely my favorite Japanese noodle. But I had never had this cold version. It didn't disappoint. Nothing here blew my mind, but everything was fresh and tasty. And the service was incredibly friendly and welcoming.

- Jordan Shapiro -

A simple and stylish restaurant serving Hakata cuisine, but with a few unique items in the menu not common in Halata restaurants in big cities. We came for the motsu nabe though, and it didn’t disappoint! However, they didn’t have any option to end the nabe meal with zosui (rice and egg in the leftover soup), and the staff said they don’t serve anything in the menu with rice. I really wanted some rice, so I also did not opt for any noodles. Adding soup costs extra too. The restaurant is directly under the train tracks so it can get wuite loud and it becomes a bit hard to talk sometimes.

- ARBN -

The store is located under the guard of Nakameguro Station on the Tokyu Toyoko Line and Hibiya Line Although the restaurant is located under the guard, the sound of the train did not bother us that much! Overall, the food was delicious! The potato salad in particular is creative and photo-worthy. I recommend finishing with oudon (Japanese noodle).

- Akihiko Sawada -