Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on April 2011

David Labi

Reeling away from Yoyogi Park after a beautiful hanami in the sun, Shinjuku seemed the perfect place to find some respite from the giddy masses. Paltry snacks on the blue tarp had left a gaping hole that required filling. We headed out the east exit of JR Shinjuku, brushed the neon edges of Kabukicho and arrived in the relatively calm alleys of Sanchome. Whispers had reached us about an excellent Chinese hideaway in the area and we finally located Kowloon up a side street.

The place is small and narrow but they make good use of space. We sat at a surprisingly large window table while we watched the activity that focused around the wide, red-edged counter stretching almost the restaurant’s length. The red combined with sleek black tiles to give the place a smarter look than many of the other narrow eateries of their ilk. The counter was piled with plates and ceramic bottles, one of which was delivered post-haste to our table filled with shokoshu, or Shaoxing wine—a dark rice wine named after its home city in China. It had a rich, caramel-like flavor and provided a great aperitif. It’s also perfectly drinkable as a meal accompaniment, as evidenced by our second bottle.

The menu is all Japanese, so non-speakers should bring a nihongo-capable companion or a brazen sense of adventure. Judging by the various dishes we sampled, even a shot in the dark is bound to please your palate. The dishes range from ¥400-¥1,000 and for a group of four, five dishes were perfectly sufficient and cost us ¥3,000 a head, which included a couple of jars of shokoshu. This way, we were also able to try more of the delicacies on offer. The cuisine is supposed to be Hong-Kong-centric, though you’ll find many of the familiar flavors from other areas of Chinese cuisine. The tofu salad and dim sum made great appetizers, along with the succulent pitan—preserved duck eggs that might startle you with their dusky color if you have never tried them before. The signature dish however is the tantanmen (¥800)—noodles in a spicy, peanut-based hot soup—which is bounteous enough for several people to have two little bowls each. As the weather heats up the tables will surely spill outside, making it a great summer spot when the sakura petals are long gone.