July 21, 2016

The Chahan Challenge: Savoring Fried Rice at the Nation's Six Best Chahan Restaurants

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Chinese

The Chahan Challenge: Savoring Fried Rice at the Nation’s Six Best Chahan Restaurants

It’s a craving you get at least twice a week: Chahan, the delicious Chinese-style fried rice that has become a favorite among all gourmets. From the color and texture to the individual ingredients, a lot of things influence the unique taste of a fried rice dish. But what is the best combination, and how do you best savor Chahan? Let us go on a quest to find Japan’s one and only Chahan King by visiting Japan’s most famous well-established Chahan restaurants!

1.An Unforgettable Taste That Will Leave You Craving for More

The first restaurant on our Chahan list is in Fukuoka and is run by a couple and their son. Their savory Chahan is so popular that the telephone inside the store keeps ringing nonstop, as customers make use of the delivery service to enjoy the famed fried rice at home.

The way the rice is fried and seasoned is the restaurant’s own delicious and unforgettable secret – one with a high addictiveness! When in Fukuoka, be sure to stop by at Shunyoken!

Shun’yoken

1-34-9 Hakozaki Higashi-ku Fukuoka Fukuoka

2.A Mecca of Chinese Food: Enjoying Curry Chahan in East Osaka

Our next destination is East Osaka’s Fuse Station. In this shopping district, Chinese restaurants line the streets, serving dishes that do not only taste amazing and come in satisfying portions but are also very reasonably priced! This “triple threat” has made many restaurants of the area famous.

Among the variety of delicious food is the succulent Curry Chahan – its delicious, rich curry smell will immediately make your mouth water. If you stir it with the egg yolk that sits in the middle of the mountain of fried rice, you’ll yet experience another nuance of taste from the very same dish. And the best part: this excellent curry rice, as well as the restaurant’s ramen, are only 400 yen while an entire set of seven different dim sum specialties is available for 200 yen. It’s not surprising that Oboko Hanten has so many loyal fans!

Oboko Hanten

1-17-5 Ajiro, Higashiosaka, Osaka-fu, 577-0841

3.Light and Fluffy Fried Rice in a High-Class Restaurant

For now, we stay in Osaka and visit a Chinese restaurant with a wonderfully modern atmosphere, one that is particularly famous for its Sichuan style spicy tofu as well as its “oven-baked chashu pork and lettuce Chahan”.

This oven-baked rice, coming with juicy, thick slices of barbecued pork, is best savored with Chugokusai Bogoya’s specialty Sichuan tofu, also called mapo dofu in Japan – this combination of amazing flavors has been called exquisite by many happy guests.

Chugokusai Bogoya

No. 16 Shinka Bldg. 1F, 3-5-57 Fuseyacho, Izumi-shi, Osaka-fu

4.A Unique All-You-Can-Eat Chahan Experience With Plenty of Meat

Naturally, Japan’s capital of Tokyo does have an amazing selection of Chahan restaurants to offer. Especially one place in Shinbashi has gained a lot of attention: the Sichuan restaurant called Mikaku. Mikaku’s fried rice features soft, juicy pieces of boiled meat that can be enjoyed in an all-you-can-eat menu for reasonable 3,380 yen, drinks included! Whether you choose to stick to Chahan and just keep on indulging in this fried rice deliciousness or eat your way through the restaurant’s many dishes is entirely up to you.

Mikaku

2-5-1 Nishishinbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo-to 105-0003

5.Captivating: Classic Chinese Cuisine at the Tsukiji Market

The Tsukji Market evokes the image of fresh, delicious seafood in most people but delicacies of the ocean are, in fact, not the only things that can be savored here. From Japanese specialties to Western food, and of course delights from Chinese cuisine, there are many restaurants that serve locals and tourists alike.

This time, we’ll pay a visit to Fujino, a restaurant serving classic Chinese dishes especially popular among the people working at the famous fish market – and particularly Fujino’s Chahan. The “Han-Chan Ramen Set” is our special recommendation!

Fujino

Tsukiji Inner Market Ichigokan, 5-2-1, Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo-to 104-0045

6.Explore the Secret Chahan Battleground!

Nippori, Mikawashima, Uguisudani – this is the Golden Triangle of a hidden gourmet battleground. The area is a treasure trove of Chinese restaurants that are loved by locals for the authentic food they serve.

From garlic-flavored Chahan to giant bowls of fried rice, this entire Golden Triangle is one big recommendation to anyone looking to eat authentic Chinese food. One particularly good restaurant is Taikoken in Uguisudani – everyone is surprised by the outstandingly delicious taste of the Chahan served here!