I visited a restaurant that had been mentioned as a challenge by other reviewers. To cut to the chase, I was amazed by the authentic taste. The restaurant is clean and at first glance doesn't seem to offer authentic flavors, but the dishes are truly authentic and incredibly delicious. The Japanese staff member providing service was surprisingly attentive. This Chinese restaurant offers Hunan cuisine, which is relatively unknown in Japan, but manages to create an atmosphere and service that is familiar to Japanese customers. I truly want to applaud the birth of this restaurant. I tried their signature dish, "Duo Jiao Yu Tou" (Steamed Fish Head with Chili). This dish is a classic Hunan cuisine that showcases the restaurant's skill. It uses a unique seasoning called "Duo La Jiao," which is essentially pickled chili peppers. It provides not only spiciness but also depth of flavor. The restaurant also uses pickled mustard greens, adding a distinctive flavor to the dish. The spiciness level can be chosen between "Japanese style" and "authentic Hunan style." I requested it to be made authentically like in Hunan, and I could hear from the kitchen, "Even spicier than Hunan style!" which made me excited. Another famous Hunan dish is "Mao Shi Hong Shao Rou" (Braised Pork Belly). Mao Zedong loved this dish because he believed that pork could make the mind clear. The fish used in "Duo Jiao Yu Tou" is sea bream, making it a luxurious dish. The freshness of the fish is excellent, and you can smell the aroma of the sea bream. When the dish arrives, the fragrance of cilantro and pickled chili peppers fills the air. As you chew on the sea bream, a delicate aroma spreads. The flavor does justice to the sea bream's umami, and the base soup uses chicken broth, which perfectly complements the fish. It is not just a spicy dish but one with a lingering flavor. The sea bream is cooked perfectly, tender and juicy, releasing the gelatinous umami when you bite into it. The meat is delicious, but the lips and cheeks are also enjoyable, which is the charm of steamed fish. To finish, they add rice flour noodles, a local favorite, to the dish. Mix the freshly boiled noodles with the boneless fish on the plate. This way, you can enjoy the high-quality soup. The noodles coated with pickled chili peppers deliver a powerful spiciness. It's a way to enjoy the intense spiciness of Hunan cuisine, and spicy food lovers should definitely give it a try. The price of "Duo Jiao Yu Tou" is very reasonable at 1,250 yen. I saw other unique dishes on the menu, so I would like to revisit and try some more dishes.

Ethnic and Chinese restaurants are crowded around the north exit of Kinshicho Station. For today's lunch, let's try the Hunan cuisine restaurant "Li Xiangtan Hunan Restaurant." The restaurant is very popular and almost full of customers. It serves authentic and sharp-tasting dishes, with about 70% Japanese customers and 20-30% groups speaking Chinese. In these times, it seems that the Chinese customers are not inbound tourists, but rather people who have settled in Japan and are active here. On the wall, there are various photos displayed in small frames, and near the table we were seated at, there was a photo of a young Mao Zedong. It is said that he loved Hunan cuisine. Li Xiangtan is known for its delicious rice noodles. The signboard states that they use 100% domestically grown rice for their homemade noodles. In this case, "domestic" refers to Japanese rice. Essentially, they use Japanese rice flour to make rice noodles that taste just as good as authentic ones, so they probably use Japanese rice that is milled and used in Japan. Personally, I love rice noodles. I have bought them in bulk when traveling in Taiwan. I have visited traditional noodle factories in Hsinchu and Puli, but most commercially available rice noodles contain cornstarch as the top ingredient. Rice noodles with a high rice content are more expensive, but they have a gentle flavor of rice. The aroma of rice is amazing, but it is difficult to achieve a chewy texture. The simple and gentle mouthfeel of rice noodles is addictive. The daily set meal I had was "Tongzi Chicken" (¥980 including tax). It is a Hunan-style stir-fried chicken dish that showcases the uniqueness of Hunan cuisine. Tongzi chicken refers to immature male chickens. The meat is cut into small pieces with bones! It includes the tips of chicken wings, which are usually used in chicken soup. The breast meat, thigh meat, and chicken wing tips are all small and bone-in, making it a bit of a hassle to eat. I picked out all the bones and ate it. It also includes green bell peppers, onions, whole chili peppers, and finely chopped garlic with plenty of salt. The chili peppers are quite spicy. But it is incredibly delicious. You can eat as much rice as you want with this dish, but it's challenging for someone who needs to control their salt intake. On the other hand, I ordered it without thinking that it would be so authentically recreated. I would like to try the regular menu more thoroughly if I have the opportunity. I would like to visit for dinner someday to fully enjoy this authentic taste.

I visited for lunch in Kinshicho. The restaurant had a calm atmosphere with almost no customers as it had just opened. I chose the white fish with chili stir-fry from the daily specials menu. The fried white fish and vegetables were stir-fried with garlic and chili, giving it a strong and spicy flavor. It felt like an authentic dish, and I could hear conversations in Chinese coming from the kitchen, so it must be the real deal. Throughout my meal, Uber delivery drivers kept coming in to pick up orders, showing that the restaurant is quite popular. I would like to try other dishes as well.

This place is so delicious that you can't help but keep ordering more. Be prepared to resist the temptation, or else you might end up eating forever. Don't worry, you can't go wrong with anything you order! Even though I don't like spicy food, I still find myself coming back here.

Visited this restaurant in Kinshicho area, which offers a 30% discount. It was crowded, but luckily a table was available and I could easily get in. Sometimes there is a line outside for lunch as well. I'm not a big fan of the counter seats here because the chairs are a bit high and you can make eye contact with people passing by or the sunlight can be strong. So, I preferred a table this time. The cold tantan mifen was a bit pricey at 1150 yen, so I opted for the stir-fried dried tofu and pork for 980 yen from the set menu. I was considering the daily special, but I remembered how delicious this dish was from a previous visit, so I wanted to have it again. I like the texture of the dried tofu and the perfect level of spiciness. The bean sprouts and coffee jelly side dishes were also delicious. However, the rice was not that great, and it was a bit disappointing that the soup was more like miso soup for a Chinese restaurant. It's tasty, but I think Chinese restaurant lunches are better enjoyed with 2 or 3 people so you can share the main dishes and try a variety of items.

The company members requested to eat at a delicious Chinese restaurant, and we made a reservation for 8 people in a private room on the second floor at "Li Xiangtan Xiang Cuisine Restaurant" which serves unusual Hunan cuisine. Initially, we planned to order a la carte, but since the young members are eager to drink without hesitation, we decided on the "Early Summer All-You-Can-Drink Course for ¥6,500 including tax". On the day, it was steamy hot, and just walking from the station made us sweat. We all gathered at 7:00 pm and started the dinner. We began with a toast with draft beer. The all-you-can-drink menu included beer, sours, highballs, and many other options, giving a sense of value. The course consisted of a total of 9 dishes, so we wondered if it would be enough. The first dish, a platter of 4 cold appetizers, arrived, featuring dried tofu and wood ear mushrooms which were rare and delicious. Next was the restaurant's signature dish, Chairman Mao's favorite braised pork, which was beautifully colored and incredibly tasty. The diced steak stir-fried with black pepper was flavorful and paired well with beer. Steamed baby cuttlefish with scallion soy sauce was gentle and delicious. The deep-fried whole prawns and chicken with chili peppers were tasty, but the spiciness hit later. We added steamed chicken, Hunan-style mapo tofu, and more braised pork, followed by shrimp steamed dumplings and soup dumplings for a break. Despite being full, the young members kept eating. The stir-fried vegetable dish refreshed our palates. We switched to Shaoxing wine on the rocks to save our stomachs. Additional dishes of saliva chicken, garlic shoots with fried bacon, and black fried rice arrived. They all looked delicious, but we left it to the young members to eat as we had reached our limit. Finally, the homemade rice noodles were gentle on the stomach and the perfect way to end the meal. Dessert was homemade almond tofu. Even after ordering so many additional dishes and eating and drinking to our heart's content, the cost per person was only ¥7,400, which was incredibly cost-effective. When we crave Chairman Mao's favorite braised pork again, we will definitely return. Thank you for the wonderful meal!

I visited this restaurant because the nearby Chinese restaurant I wanted to go to was fully booked. I ordered the special fried rice set and it was delicious! The green dumplings in the dim sum set were also tasty. The rest of the dishes were just okay. This place specializes in authentic spicy Chinese cuisine, so if you like spicy food, definitely give it a try.

I found a Chinese Hunan cuisine restaurant in Kinshicho called "Li Xiang Tan Xiang Cai Guan" (Li Shoutan Shousaikan). The Hunan soy sauce flavor and spiciness from chili peppers are the main features of Hunan cuisine. It was my first time trying this type of cuisine, but it was very easy to eat, probably because of the soy sauce base. The menu is extensive. Surprisingly, this place is very reasonable! Each dish ranges from ¥638 to ¥1,848, and a glass of beer is ¥480, so overall it is quite affordable. Some of the dishes I tried include: - Chinese dried tofu salad with salt and sesame oil dressing for ¥638, perfect as an appetizer. - Hunan-style mixed noodles, a famous dish for ¥1,078, with a soft and gentle texture. - Stir-fried lamb and scallions for ¥1,848, with tender and easy-to-eat lamb meat. - Stir-fried summer eggplant with Hunan soy sauce for ¥1,298, perfect for the eggplant season with a hot and spicy flavor. - Stir-fried hand-torn cabbage with chili peppers for ¥1,188, a delicious dish with a great garlic flavor. For dessert, I had: - Corn mochi with red bean paste for ¥396, a unique and not too sweet treat. - Homemade almond tofu with seasonal fruits for ¥528, a lightly sweet and delicious dessert. All the dishes were quite delicious, and I finished everything. The mellow flavor of Hunan soy sauce and the spiciness made the meal go well with drinks. The dishes were served quickly, and the total cost for one person was reasonable at around ¥3,200. I'm glad I found this great restaurant. Budget: ¥3,000 to ¥4,000 per person #HunanCuisine #ChineseHunanCuisine #LiXiangTanXiangCaiGuan #Kinshicho #KinshichoGourmet #Kameido #SumidaWardGourmet #ChineseCuisine #NeighborhoodChinese #Chinese #chinesecuisine #AffordableChinese #SpicyCuisine #foodies #foodie #gourmet

It seems like there are mainly Chinese people here. I think that means it's authentic Chinese food. The flavors are a bit strong, but it was delicious. So, it's not really a place to go with elderly people. There were a lot of young couples. Also, the service is fast and there is a local vibe, which is nice.

I had a meeting at the town Chinese restaurant called "Chukasai Kan Li Xiangtan" in Kinsicho Station North Exit, which serves rare Hunan cuisine in Japan. The food overall was spicy but delicious. Especially, the salt and pepper fried pig feet were spicy but tasty. For dessert, we had homemade rice noodle soup. The black soy sauce fried rice was also delicious with a fragrant fish sauce. Hunan cuisine is known for its spicy and sour flavor, and you can request to make most dishes even spicier for an additional 100 yen. One of my colleagues ordered the spicy local style of sand liver, and he was really struggling to eat it. I didn't try it because I'm not good with spicy food. It might be considered as power harassment to make employees who are not good with spicy food eat the spiciest dish in China, which is said to be Hunan cuisine. Thank you for the meal!

- Made a web reservation through Tabelog for Sunday at 17:00. Arrived 30 minutes early on the day, but they kindly accepted us. - There were many Chinese customers, so maybe it's more of a place for connoisseurs? Heard frequent orders in Chinese. - Ordered braised pork belly, simmered sea bream with chili, and black fried rice. The braised pork had a unique aroma that I've smelled in Lu Long Han, and it was deliciously cooked. I chose the spicy "local style" for the simmered sea bream, and it had a lot of meat on the head, good fat content, and a satisfying texture. The black fried rice was moist and I personally liked it. The savory soy sauce flavor was also good. - I'd like to go back again, especially at night.

I tried Hunan cuisine, one of the eight major Chinese cuisines. Personally, I have been into Sichuan cuisine recently, but I found the flavors of Hunan cuisine very enjoyable as well. The char siu and other dishes were all delicious. The only downside was that the tables were set up in a way where you might end up sharing with the next table, but other than that, everything was perfect.

I went after 8:00 PM. The staff was friendly and the atmosphere was nice. The taste was excellent. I recommend the braised pork and noodle dishes. It's a welcoming atmosphere for solo diners, so definitely check it out. I ordered coconut milk for a drink. I was prepared for it to be too sweet, but surprisingly it had a refreshing aftertaste. It goes well with sweet and spicy dishes or spicy dishes. I definitely want to go back again.

On weekends, had a girls' night out on the second floor. It's not very close as it's a bit of a walk west from Kinshicho. Taste: Excellent, Price: Average, Seating: Average, Staff: Good, Clientele: Average, Transport: Not so convenient. The variety of dishes is great and overall delicious! Must-try is the braised pork! The classic spicy noodles are perfectly seasoned, although the noodles themselves are a bit soft. We ordered nearly 10 dishes for 5 people and it came to around 3500 yen per person. The interior has sofa seating as well, making it easy for even solo diners to enter.

On Saturday at 11:50, we entered the restaurant and were seated on the first floor with only two other groups of customers. There seemed to be a second floor as well. I ordered curry beef fried rice with a side of half-sized noodles and added three pieces of dim sum. My companion ordered pork belly and chili stir-fry with noodles on top. The curry fried rice was pretty good. It was my first time trying the noodles, and I wished the soup had more of a coating on the noodles. The tantan noodles looked delicious too. Overall, it seemed like the restaurant was well-regarded for its authentic feel. Thank you for the meal!

I think this is probably the only restaurant in Tokyo where you can eat Hunan cuisine. About 80% of the customers are Chinese, so it must be authentic. I ordered black fried rice, mapo tofu, and xiaolongbao. The mapo tofu was totally different from what I usually eat. It was fried tofu and spicy, maybe even spicier than Sichuan cuisine. I love black fried rice. Thank you for the meal.

I suddenly had to go to Kinshicho and decided to have lunch there. I was seated at the counter right away as there was an available seat. I struggled to choose between the spicy stir-fried gizzards and green beans (酸豆角炒鸡胗) and the stir-fried Chinese dried tofu and pork (香干炒肉), but I ended up ordering the gizzards with no sugar. The crunchy gizzards with bell peppers, carrots, and the aroma of chili oil were great, but I regretted not asking for it to be spicier. The portion was large, but it was just right with the amount of rice. I would like to try the dried tofu next time.

I changed jobs in June 2020 and moved to my current workplace in Kanda-Nishikicho, which is right next to Otemachi. My lunch options shifted from Otemachi and Kanda-Ochanomizu area to Suidobashi and Jinbocho area, but overall, there weren't many big changes. The biggest change for me was that I no longer have any business trips. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, even if I had stayed at my previous job, the opportunities for business trips would have decreased. However, before changing jobs, I used to go on business trips regularly, and I miss the experience of staying in hotels and enjoying their breakfast buffets. To make up for this, I occasionally plan private trips for food blogging purposes. Today, I went to Kinshicho to explore a Hunan cuisine restaurant for lunch. Hunan cuisine is known for its spiciness and use of fermented ingredients. It is considered one of the Eight Great Traditions of Chinese cuisine. The Hunan cuisine restaurant I visited is run by an owner from Hunan province and has been open for almost 8 years. The restaurant has received positive reviews on Tabelog, with a rating of 3.56 out of 5. The lunch service starts at 11:00 am, and the restaurant offers a variety of seating options. On this day, I arrived at the restaurant slightly after 11:10 am, and the place was already bustling with customers.

I went to Rishotan Shosai Kan in Kinshicho. It was my third stop, so I had beer, snacks, and finished with rice vermicelli for a light meal. It was my first time trying rice vermicelli, and it was refreshing with light soup and rice noodles. The char siu in it was dry and didn't taste like real meat. However, the soup had a bit of a unique taste and was delicious. The tomato and egg stir-fry looked tasty in the photo but the actual taste was different and disappointing. The Tempura Assortment of 3 items also didn't have as much impact as expected. Next time.

On a certain weekday evening, I decided to have dinner alone near Kinshicho Station. I was curious about this restaurant that seemed to serve authentic Chinese cuisine. Recently, Hunan cuisine has been popping up in Tokyo, known for its unique flavor profile with only chili peppers and no numbing Sichuan peppercorns. As I entered, despite the rain, the restaurant was bustling with customers, mostly groups of people who seemed to be coming from work. Since I was dining alone, I was seated at the counter. Looking at the menu, I noticed that there were fewer small dishes and more large dishes. It was hard to gauge the portion sizes, so I hesitated to ask the busy staff for recommendations. I decided to order a couple of dishes without really knowing their sizes and adjust accordingly if needed. I ordered the following: 1) Today's assorted appetizers for 1450 yen 2) Steamed thick-cut pork belly with pickled mustard greens for 1380 yen The appetizer turned out to be much larger than I expected. It was more suitable for a group of four rather than a single person. The flavors were quite intense, with a strong salty taste likely designed to pair well with alcohol. While the taste was good, it was too salty for my liking. Despite the large portion, I managed to finish it and then the next dish arrived - the steamed thick-cut pork belly. Wow, it was huge! Another dish meant for four people. At that moment, I doubted my ability to finish just these two dishes. However, after trying it, it was delicious! It was a fatty cut of pork belly, and the pickled mustard greens, although not actually made with plums but with a type of pickled vegetable similar to Chinese mustard greens, provided a slight acidity. The dish was more salty than acidic. The slight acidity helped cut through the richness of the fatty pork belly, making it surprisingly enjoyable. However, it was still too salty, too much in quantity, and too fatty for me. I probably could have made better choices. Despite my experience with these two dishes, I feel like the restaurant has more to offer, so I would like to revisit and explore more of their menu.

I visited the restaurant for the first time and decided to try the soupless tantan men based on the reviews. When I arrived at 11:30, I was the first customer, but there were already many takeout orders coming in. By around 11:55, about half of the seats were filled. I can't handle extremely spicy food, but the level of spiciness in this dish was just right for me (if you can handle spicy curry, you should be okay). The sesame flavor was rich and delicious. The dish had plenty of toppings and was very filling. The lunch menu also seemed varied and appealing. I saw someone enjoying the daily special, so I might try that next time.

5500 yen course: 1. Assorted 4 appetizers 2. Mapo tofu 3. Mao Zedong's favorite braised pork 4. Homemade Toraja chicken (steamed with raw pickled chili peppers) 5. Sweet and sour stir-fried large shrimp 6. Seasonal green vegetable stir-fry 7. Crispy spring rolls 8. Rice noodle finale 9. Dessert