Tasting Oyakodon at Tamahide Oyakodon — One of the best Japanese chicken rice restaurants in Tokyo with more than 250 years of history

Existed more than 250 years with the invariably recipe, chicken rice and omelette eggs of Tamahide restaurant are still attractive so many Japanese and foreigners diners.

You have to queue for at least 30 minutes to 2 hours in a small street in Tokyo, to get a simple meal — a bowl of rice can not be simpler: just includes chicken and omeletted eggs, but that does not stop people come to enjoy Oyakodon chicken rice of Tamahide shop.

Everyday, this restaurant only serves chicken rice from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., so there are many visitors stand feet tired … but still can not get a chance to try Oyakodon are very popular. But Oyakodon at here is still named the most delicious and authentic of Japanese food, is a dish that people of Tokyo and visitors need to try once.

Tamahide is the birthplace of the famous chicken rice dish: Oyakodon, so all diners around the world will want to this restaurant once time even though have to waiting a few hours for dining.

Exploring Tamahide oyakodon and how to make Oyakodon. Video: Great Big Story

The timeless attraction of Oyakodon

The Tamahide Restaurant has opened in 1760 in Ningyocho, the old quarter from the Edo period in bustling Tokyo centre. This is the place where Yamada Hideyoshi, the fifth owner of the restaurant who created Oyakodon — the very famous chicken rice dish in 1891. Today, local and foreigners visitors are still have to lined up, sometimes have to wait up to 1, 2 hours to enjoy Oyakodon.

The Japanese name for Oyakodon means “parent and child”, a Japanese specialty includes omelette eggs on a bowl of chicken rice. Although simple made from chicken and eggs but the dish is still great attractive thanks to the sophisticated processing, the quality in each ingredient and the esoteric recipe.

The man who save the traditional values

There are so many restaurants serving delicious Oyakodon, but Tamahide is still the number one choice, because they use Shamo, the esoteric sauce to creates a special flavor. Since its inception, Oyakodon has not changed much and has become the most standard Oyakodon recipe. Konosuke Yamada, the eighth owner of Tamahide who has mastered the recipe since he was a child. Konosuke knows too well about the restaurant, as well as understand that it is the heritage that he is inherited and developed.

This minimalist but sophistication processing is always the pride of Tamahide. Experiencing 7 to 8 generations of Chefs, there are very few changes but still keep the basic spirit of the dish, which is a harmonious combination of eggs and chicken. The chicken is cut by the classical technique from the Edo period, eggs must be fresh and only used during the day, cooked to the perfect match. When you cut a piece, the natural sweetness of rice, the fat taste of eggs and the soft and smooth of meat will create an unforgettable taste.

The original chicken rice dish at here does not have fresh onion sprinkled on omelette eggs like the diners often see in other restaurants. In addition, the preparation of fresh ingredients from meat and eggs, rice, combined with the technique of chicken cutting kept from the Edo period that makes the specialty of Oyakodon at Tamahide.

When talking about the recipe that make the famous of Oyakodon, the Tamahide’s current chef, Konosuke has shown a very … idealistic perspective: The delicious foods do not come from the way of making and the ingredients but come from the flowing spirit in the generations of Tamahide.

Perhaps, the wishing to preserve the fine traditions is the secret to keeping Tamahide exist untill now. Tamahide’s owners have no intention of expanding their business so this small restaurant is still the same since its inception more than 250 years ago. A traditional two-tiered restaurant with tatami mat, the Oyakodon recipe can not be simpler, along with the long lined up of diners those who are willing to wait to enjoy it and only open from 11:30 to 13:30 daily. Therefore, many diners those who wait several hours may not be able to get the chances to enjoying the delicacies.

Tamahide is an interesting place for those who wants to enjoy the cuisine in particular — and traditional Japanese culture in general.

The Menu

Tamahide started out as an eatery specializing in 軍鶏/shamo/gamefowl (a kind of chicken). During the Edo Period the restaurant started serving sukiyaki. It wasn’t until the Meiji Period that oyakodon appeared on the menu, the idea born from a customer who mixed their sukiyaki soup with egg and rice.

There are other items on Tamahide’s menu, mostly in the form of set dinner courses all of which include shamo in some form or other. Prices range from 7,000 – 15,000 yen.

Every one you see in the queue, however, has come for the 軍鶏親子丼/shamon oyakodon (part of the lunch menu), of which there are three choices;

元祖親子丼/ganso oyakodon – The Original Oyakodon – 1,500 yen

白いレバ親子丼/shiroi reba oyakodon – White Liver Oyakodon – 2,000 yen

極み親子丼/kiwami oyakodon – Sublime Oyakodon – 2,200 yen

Each dish is served with a cup of shamo soup and 漬け物/tsukemono/pickles. The higher the price, the better the cuts of meat.

Further information

Address: 1-17-10, Nihonbashi Ningyocho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo,103-0013, Japan

Telephone: 03 3668 7651

Opening hours

• Lunch: 11:30 – 14:00 (last order 12:45). The oyakodon lunches are served from 11:30 -13:00. Get here before 11:00 to stand a chance of being at the front of the queue.
• Dinner: Weekdays, 17:00 – 22:00 (last order 21:00) / Weekends&Holidays, 16:00 – 21:00 (last order 20:00)
• Closed Sunday and holidays

Prices: Set course lunches (3,300 – 5,500 yen)

Website: http://www.tamahide.co.jp/

How to get there

Tamahide is a stone’s throw from exit A2 of Ningyocho Metro Station (Hibiya Line). Alternatively, it is a 2 minute walk from the Toei Ningyocho Station serving the Asakusa Line.

Tamahide Oyakodon

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