Chuka Soba Yamafuku (中華そば やま福) Tokyo

The neighborhood of Kamata is a hive of eating and drinking spots, and the “Sun Road” walking street is one of my favorite places to wander, rain or shine. It’s a covered shotengai (a shopping street) straight out of the 1980s.

Halfway down it is Yamafuku, which opened in 2021 and is most famous for their toripaitan, a creamy chicken soup.

They’re actually a branch of Yakiton Tonbancho in Kamata, a popular low-key spot doing grilled pork skewers. It’s cool when a shop has two locations, each using different cuts or elements of their products in different ways. Does the pork in this soup taste better because they source good stuff for their other spot? I like to think so.

The noodles are made by Sugano Noodle and are straight, medium-thin, and not too big a portion (150g).

The day I went, they had a special limited-edition ago niboshi soup, made with flying fish and dried sardines. It was fishy, full of umami, with a perfectly balanced soy sauce tare that wasn’t too tangy or sour. The grated daikon was FIRE on this. I don’t know why more shops don’t follow suit.

All the cuts of meat were succulent and tender. I really loved the sous vide chicken on this one.

Only eight seats. Out of all the places to choose from in Kamata, it can get overwhelming, but you won’t forget Yamafuku. Less