An old-fashioned Chinese restaurant. The beer at Chinese restaurants always seems to have a certain smell, I wonder why. The cashier shelf was movable and they seated us in a great spot. The water spinach was indeed water spinach. However, the garlic was probably pre-peeled vacuum-packed garlic, and it just smelled bad. Too bad. The dumplings were like the quintessential Chinese dumplings at a Chinese restaurant. They're a bit different from Japanese dumplings, so people might have mixed feelings about them.

Fried Rice + Dumplings for 950 yen at Hong Kong-ya (Shinbashi). When I saw the fried rice, I thought it wouldn't be good. It was a Chinese-style fried rice with chopped carrots. But when I tried it, the rice was firm and fluffy, with a rich flavor as I chewed. It wasn't as bad as it looked. The dumplings were large and had a thick skin, with a good balance of meat. They were light yet flavorful, especially when dipped in the soup. Eating two plates of pan-fried dumplings would surely fill you up. They recommended the pan-fried dumplings over the boiled ones, and I can see why.

During a business trip to Tokyo, I planned to take my colleagues to the ramen shop "Nomuryu" in Nagahama after our third round of drinks at a bar, but we stumbled upon this restaurant on the way which was closer to Shinbashi Station than Nomuryu. We ended up ordering a lot more food than just to fill our empty stomachs. We ordered steamed chicken, stir-fried clams with leeks, shredded pork with green peppers, five-flavor fried rice, Chinese rice bowl, and steamed dumplings. The steamed chicken was reliable, as it is in most restaurants. The clams had a strong flavor, and actually, all the dishes were on the salty side. The shredded pork with green peppers was also very good. The dumplings were large and crispy even without sauce. The fried rice was a bit disappointing as it was too oily. The Chinese rice bowl at the end was also very flavorful. The owner was surprised by how much we ordered, as we turned out to be big eaters. Currently, the restaurant has a rating of 3.29 on Tabelog.

On Wednesday after work, I went to the Hong Kong-ya Shinbashi store in front of Shinbashi Station! I had a meeting in Hamamatsucho on Wednesday, and just as it was ending, I received a sudden invitation from my former boss and another old boss to come quickly to Shinbashi to drink. I rushed over and by the time I arrived, more colleagues had joined, and we were already a group of merry drinkers. Beer goes down smoothly on a hot day, doesn't it? The menu included: Scallops and black bean vegetable stir-fry, fried potatoes, duck salad, spicy stir-fried blue crab, and lots of draft beer. I didn't pay much attention to the food as I was mostly drinking, but I tried a piece of the spicy blue crab stir-fry and it was super spicy - woke me up from the alcohol buzz! Two of the bosses left at the end of the night, and the remaining three of us decided to head to Togoshi Ginza next. To be continued... #dinner #nightdinner #nightmeal #eveningmeal #dinnertime #nightout #izakaya #izakayagourmet #Chinese #Shinbashi #drinkingparty #draftbeer #deliciousdraftbeer #beerisgreatonhotdays #bluecrab #stationfront #drunk #ShinbashiStationBuilding #nighteating #drinkstagram

Before returning from Saitama to the office in Ginza, I had a lunch set. The portion was generous and I was happy with the small serving of mapo tofu. The soup was decent as well. The beer was cold and delicious, and I finished the meal in no time. Thank you for the meal.

Today for dinner, I took a stroll around Shinbashi Station. I exited the north ticket gate of JR Shinbashi Station, turned right, and exited from the Ginza exit. I crossed the street towards Tsukiji, continued straight ahead, crossed the next signal at Shinbashi Ichichome, then turned right and walked a bit until I reached a crossroads with a signal. On the left side, there was the Shinbashi Station Building No. 1. I visited a restaurant called "Hong Kong-ya Shinbashi Store" located on the first floor of this building. I entered the restaurant at 5:25 PM on a weekday. A female staff greeted me and allowed me to choose any seat. I chose a table in the back as the tables near the entrance were occupied by solo customers. I looked at the menu placed on the table, which was a standard thick menu for a Chinese restaurant, divided into categories like seafood, meat, noodles, rice, porridge, dim sum, new menu, appetizers, and drinks. I wanted something light, so I focused on the noodle section. I decided to order the "Cantonese Ramen" as I felt like having some vegetables. I placed my order with the female staff. After a 5-minute wait, the "Cantonese Ramen" was served. The soup of the ramen was a gentle soy sauce-based broth with ingredients such as pork, shrimp, squid, Chinese cabbage, carrots, greens, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots, enoki mushrooms, and quail eggs. The soup had a deep flavor with a rich taste that made it hard to stop drinking. The noodles were medium-thick and slightly curly, which paired well with the flavorful soup and ingredients. I enjoyed the different textures and flavors of the pork, seafood, and vegetables in each bite. I finished the ramen by savoring the noodles, meat, vegetables, and broth. It was a delightful experience enjoying the "Cantonese Ramen" at Hong Kong-ya Shinbashi Store. Thank you for the meal.

From the escalator at Shimbashi Station on the Yurikamome Line, you can see the chaotic display of menus at the Hong Kong Ya-san storefront. Located on the first floor of the Shimbashi Station Front Building No. 1, I entered the restaurant at spot 1145. Since it was before noon, the restaurant was quite empty. I decided to try the weekday limited 20 servings set for ¥730, which included Hoikoro (a type of Chinese dish) with a strong flavor, Mapo Tofu as a side dish, rice, soup, pickled vegetables, and almond jelly. Considering the price, it was a very good deal! The Shimbashi Station building, both the New Shimbashi Building and the Shimbashi Station Front Building, exude a strong Showa era vibe.

There was a mountain of fried chicken set meal for 1000 yen on the menu, so I ordered it assuming it was a lunch menu. The fried chicken set meal from the dinner menu arrived in 5 minutes, with 5 small pieces of well-seasoned fried chicken. The rice was cold, and the gyoza took another 5 minutes to arrive. The gyoza had a gentle flavor, maybe they didn't use garlic. It came with vegetable gyoza soup and almond jelly, but it felt a bit pricey. The gyoza was served on a plate with Rascal on it, I feel like I've seen this in a restaurant around here before, but I can't remember where.

※※Visit on February 17, 2023※※ I visited "Hong Kong-ya Shinbashi Store" located on the 1st floor of Shinbashi Station Building No. 1, right next to the Shiodome exit of JR, Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Toei Asakusa Line, and Yurikamome. "Hong Kong-ya" is a franchise with stores in Oshima, Shinbashi, Kojimachi, Ikebukuro, Jojo, Kitaikebukuro, Tokiwadai, Magome, and Kojimachi. The operating hours of the "Shinbashi Store" are from 11:30 to 0:30, open every day, and accept cash and credit cards only. The interior of the restaurant has a nostalgic atmosphere reminiscent of a Chinese dining hall, with 54 seats and TVs. This time, I ordered the "Fried Rice + Gyoza" set. The set came with Egg Drop Soup and Almond Jelly. The fried rice had a nice salty flavor and the gyoza was big and crispy with a nice char. The set was very generous in portion size.

I couldn't get a table at my usual restaurant, so I came here instead. I've been here for lunch a few times, but it was my first time here for dinner! It was busy on a Friday, so the service was a bit slow. I ordered the green pepper beef, which went well with beer. Since it's an old restaurant, there seemed to be a lot of regular customers. Smoking is allowed, so it's recommended for smokers. The dishes were authentic and the vegetables were crunchy, which was nice.

I wanted to sit and relax, so I looked at the menu and found that they don't have Tanmen. When I asked, they said they call it Vegetable Ramen. It arrived piping hot and was delicious! However, the soup started to taste too salty as I kept eating. It cost 940 yen, which is not exactly cheap, especially after the PayPay campaign ended. Walking a bit further to a place with better cost performance like Tanmen with crunchy vegetables might be a good idea. It was nice to sit comfortably in a seat for four people all by myself, watching TV and snacking on dumplings with beer. The seats were spacious and cozy. The location is right by the station, so considering the price including the seating fee, it might be worth it.

#Hong Kong House 680-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Garlic sprout and pork stir-fry 850- It was cold, but the sun came out and it's warm now. Maybe it will get cold again at night. I couldn't decide what to eat today. I wandered around in front of Shinbashi Station. I decided to go into the Chinese restaurant on the first floor of the building. Hmm, maybe I'll go for the garlic sprout and pork dish. It comes with a small side dish and dessert, and it's a reasonable set. The mapo tofu is spicy, authentic, and makes you sweat a lot. I'm glad I didn't go for the mapo tofu set meal lol.

Lunch continues at the Shinbashi Station Building from the New Year. In front of Shinbashi Station, there are famous buildings on both the west side (SL Plaza side) and the east side (Ginza side). On the west side is the New Shinbashi Building, and on the east side is the Shinbashi Station Building. The restaurants in both buildings vary in quality, but the New Shinbashi Building has more average ones (sorry), while the Shinbashi Station Building has famous restaurants and gives the impression of having more quality ones. However, the prices are higher. The other day, after visiting Seimitei, I noticed a Chinese restaurant outside with a long line forming. That was Tōten. There were colorful visuals of the lunch menu posted outside, with a wide variety of options that looked quite delicious, so I decided to give it a try. As usual, I entered just before lunchtime. There was no line, which was a relief. The interior of the restaurant is like a Showa-era Chinese restaurant, with several 4-person and 6-person tables instead of a counter. The restaurant was only about 30% full. I sat at a 4-person table and ordered the lunch set of stir-fried wood ear mushrooms, pork, and eggs. It cost 900 yen. The menu name is long, but it's essentially "mǔsūròu" (mushu pork). It reminded me of the mǔsūròu I used to eat at Gyoza no Ohsho when I was a new employee in Osaka. After a while, the dish arrived. It was exactly as it looked in the visuals, and it was undeniably good. Not incredibly delicious, but a consistently good taste. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it came with mapo tofu, zasai pickles, and almond jelly as side dishes. There was also egg soup. The mǔsūròu was as expected from the visuals. The mapo tofu seemed pre-made, similar to the set meal at Ranen Restaurant near the office. Nevertheless, having it included made a big difference (laughs). The almond jelly was also pre-made, but it was the same situation. The zasai pickles were quite good. So, even though it costs 900 yen, the variety of dishes included makes it worth the price. After I entered, more customers came in one after another, and the restaurant was almost full. There were many solo diners, and since the tables were for 6 people, the efficiency was a bit lacking. The customer base was mostly middle-aged or older, with many people who didn't seem like typical salarymen. The other day, I witnessed an elderly group waiting for a table, but it seemed that groups couldn't easily get a table after 12 o'clock. The lunch menu has a wide variety, and for noodle dishes, you can add a half-fried rice for an additional 300 yen. Remembering this place is not a waste. It's worth noting that you can only enter from the outside, even though it's located in a building.

Today's dinner is at Shinbashi "Hong Kong-ya Shinbashi Store". It's the third stop in a 30-minute, 1 dish per place spree at the beginning of the new year. Minato Ward is in the midst of the PayPay festival. By choosing a restaurant, you can enjoy a 20% cashback. For lunch, I had 'Chicken Curry', 'Salt-grilled Pacific Saury' at the first stop, and 'Fried Horse Mackerel' at the second stop. To finish off, it's ramen. Nowadays, the Shinbashi-Ginza area is a gathering place for excellent ramen. In the past, due to high rent prices, it was difficult for renowned ramen shops to emerge in a place where they couldn't set prices above 1,000 yen. However, by cleverly capturing the recent high cost of living, there are now shops that easily surpass the 1,000 yen barrier. However, today, on January 4th, everything is closed. So, I checked out a restaurant with a casual Chinese-style appearance in front of the Shinbashi Daiichi Building. It's the first 'Tan Tan Men (850 yen)' of the new year. After a 10-minute wait, it was brought to me. First, I took a picture of the whole dish. Then, I took a close-up shot from a different angle. The moment I moved the bowl, I knew it was bad. The soup was thin and seemed to lack richness. I took the long-awaited first bite with a spoon. "(As I thought... no richness, no depth of flavor, no umami." I tried the noodles as well, but were they instant noodles? This is not the taste that a professional would serve. It was priced at 850 yen with a 20% cashback from the PayPay festival, making it effectively 680 yen, so I can forgive it, but I felt sorry as I left almost all of it. My instincts rejected filling my limited stomach with this taste. And so, the challenging food journey of 2023 has begun.

On a business trip to Tokyo, we had a social gathering at the third place. It was on Thursday, November 17, 2022. We had ladder sake at this place located on the 1st floor of the Shimbashi Station Building. The gyoza and other dishes were large and delicious. It was very convenient that they were open until late, close to the last train. Thank you for the meal.

During the Obon period, Haru-chan Ramen and Maruya were both closed. I saw a Chinese restaurant nearby, so I decided to go there. I was the only customer inside, and there was no sign of anyone else coming in. However, later I found out that the restaurant had almost 100 reviews, which surprised me. I couldn't find the menu item I wanted, so I decided to order the Chicken Spicy Miso Stir-fry, thinking it would be a safe choice. But then I noticed a framed menu item for Frog Miso Stir-fry on the wall. I silently prayed for it to be chicken instead of frog. When my order arrived, the Spicy Miso Stir-fry had a strange color. It didn't taste like miso at all, and the flavor was weak. I wondered if there was a difference in taste between "miso" and "味噌". Regardless, I was honestly surprised to have a disappointing experience with this menu item. Lesson learned: never be lazy when it comes to choosing your food. Chicken Spicy Miso Stir-fry for 850 yen.

I was wandering around the station because my regular restaurant was temporarily closed, and I came across a promising looking place. Despite its intimidating exterior, I was drawn to the name "Hong Kong-ya". There were a few customers inside, so I figured it would be okay. When I entered, it was incredibly cool inside - perfect for this time of year. I ordered the stir-fried pork with mushrooms, and it arrived in just a few minutes. It was a generous portion for 850 yen. The dish had plenty of ingredients like bamboo shoots and Chinese cabbage, and even some pickled vegetables. It was delicious, with a soy sauce-based flavor that went well with the rice. The vegetables were crunchy, and the mushroom broth added depth to the dish. The meal also came with rice, soup, pickled vegetables, almond jelly, and macaroni salad, which were all decent. The restaurant started to get busier as more customers arrived. The place was non-smoking and accepted cashless payments, including PayPay. The other dishes on the menu looked tempting, so I plan to try their spicy tantan noodles next time. Thank you for the delicious meal. I will definitely be back.

I visited on a regular night. The location is JR Shimbashi Station, exiting the Shiodome underground ticket gate, passing through SC Wing Shimbashi, and entering the front of Shimbashi Station Building No. 1. Take the escalator to the first floor, exit through the rear entrance on the right. Of course, you can also go around the rotary on the ground level. Today, I went for a meal before an NHK Symphony Orchestra concert at Suntory Hall. The conductor was the popular Yutaka Saito. The first piece was a J.S. Bach arrangement by Saito. Regardless of the performance, I think the conclusion is that I'm not a fan of Bach. I checked the set meal menu at the storefront and entered the restaurant. There were no other customers. The lighting was dimmed and the calm interior was unexpectedly not very spacious. There were tables for 4 and 6 people, but they also accommodated 2 people. I was seated on the left side of the wall by the Chinese staff. Since there was no set meal menu on the table, I ordered the sweet and sour pork set meal for 1,650 yen, which I had confirmed at the storefront. The sweet and sour pork set meal was served in about 8 minutes. I was asked to wait for the dumplings. I started with the hot and thick corn soup, which was delightful. The quality of the soup can tell you a lot about the restaurant. The sweet and sour pork consisted of 6 pieces of fried pork. The vegetables included bamboo shoots, bell peppers, carrots, and onions. The pork was tender with just the right amount of fat, and the vegetables were perfectly cooked. The seasoning had a nostalgic feel to it. This was delicious! The rice was the kind you find in Chinese restaurants, with low moisture content. However, it was just on the verge of being too hard, which I liked. The pickled mustard greens were seasoned with chili oil. After about 5-6 minutes, the dumplings were served. They were large in size. It seemed like they put a lot of effort into their dumplings, as indicated by a sign. The texture of the chewy skin was great. The filling wasn't packed tightly, but it was juicy and tasty. The dumplings were not greasy and had a refreshing taste. The almond jelly dessert was average with a lot of agar. I left satisfied and headed to the register, where I was told the total was 1,650 yen. Wait, wasn't it 1,500 yen? My mood instantly dropped. When I checked the menu outside, there was indeed a note about the price. I wondered if the prices in the menu book inside were the same. That was not impressive. Thank you for the meal.

So, we had the third round (probably) at a Hong Kong restaurant near the Yurikamome Front Rotary, which has been around for a long time. When we entered the restaurant, we were guided by a loud mainland Chinese female staff member to a table near the kitchen. We ended the night with Shaoxing wine and Pork Kakuni noodles. The appetizer was boiled vegetables with mainly bean sprouts. It was like a ramen or tanmen with various toppings. The Pork Kakuni noodles had a soft coating on the pork, so I might prefer the version from Mansei. The pork had a strong flavor. The restaurant was very noisy, with many red-faced businessmen heavily drunk. After enjoying the meal, we safely made our way back home, passing by the statue of a tanuki with enlarged testicles, and taking the Yamanote Line from Shinbashi Station.

Today is not my lucky day. The atmosphere is quite nice and welcoming. The floor staff are quick and friendly. The large and satisfying gyoza costs 650 yen for 6 pieces. As you can see, there are unevenly cooked parts. The skin is okay. Are they handmade? There seems to be some variation in quality. Unfortunately, the filling inside the gyoza has a strange, mushy texture that made my throat feel uncomfortable. The place is almost full, with regular customers who probably enjoy other dishes besides the gyoza. ✨✨✨