The origin of Oyakodon: Tamahide
Oyakodon is a rice bowl dish in Japan. With the name "parents and child rice bowl" (literal translation), it's basically chicken and egg cooked together. Simmered with onions, cooked in a savoury soup made out of dashi and with a splash of soy sauce. If you're a 饭桶 (rice bucket, someone who really loves their rice), you'll find this an amazingly satisfying dish.
Where did oyakodon originate from? That's right, my blog title gave it away! At Tamahide which has been around for more than a century. What better way to savour Oyakodon if not at its birthplace. The texture of the chicken aside, I don't think I've tried eggs cooked so perfectly at any other establishments. The omelette is cooked to perfection, thoroughly cooked through but at the same time still runny, soaking up all the sauce.
We got there fairly early around 11am. Reviews have stated that the lunchtime queue is unavoidable and the waiting is usually about an hour (or less) but I guess we must have gotten lucky! By 11.30am, we were seated and served.
For starters, they do serve you tea and this 1/4 cup worth of chicken soup. To be honest, I don't quite remember how the soup tasted but according to my very reliable travel partner with a picky tastebud, his exact word "extremely tasty chicken stock" with a very "clean" taste.
Do expect that you most likely will be asked to share tables.
They serve dinner too but with a very different approach. It's a degustation menu, mainly focused on chicken as their key ingredient. Sounds interesting isn't it! To be able to try all the different parts of a chicken but it comes with a hefty price. Price tag is at least double of what you will be paying during lunch time.
Verdict
Price ★★★☆☆
Ambiance ★★★★☆
Taste ★★★★☆
Address
1 Chome-17-10 Nihonbashiningyocho,
Chūō, Tokyo 103-0013, Japan
Where did oyakodon originate from? That's right, my blog title gave it away! At Tamahide which has been around for more than a century. What better way to savour Oyakodon if not at its birthplace. The texture of the chicken aside, I don't think I've tried eggs cooked so perfectly at any other establishments. The omelette is cooked to perfection, thoroughly cooked through but at the same time still runny, soaking up all the sauce.
We got there fairly early around 11am. Reviews have stated that the lunchtime queue is unavoidable and the waiting is usually about an hour (or less) but I guess we must have gotten lucky! By 11.30am, we were seated and served.
 |
| Was quite surprised there wasn't any queue! |
You'll be required to take off your shoes upon entering the premise and when that happens, you know for sure, this shit is for real man. One of their staff members will tag your shoes, making sure they are all kept in an orderly manner.
Even the way you order at Tamahide is slightly different from all the other places we've been to. After entering (your shoes are off at this point), you'll be queuing up at this narrow corridor. A small window will be "open" and someone will be there to take your order (see in the image below).
Lunch menu is pretty simple. They only serve Oyakodon but just different type of chicken meat. Either the simplest chicken thigh and breast, +wings, +liver and +special roast white breast. Lunch set comes with pickled vegetables and fruits.
For starters, they do serve you tea and this 1/4 cup worth of chicken soup. To be honest, I don't quite remember how the soup tasted but according to my very reliable travel partner with a picky tastebud, his exact word "extremely tasty chicken stock" with a very "clean" taste.
Do expect that you most likely will be asked to share tables.
 |
| How it looks like inside |
Verdict
Price ★★★☆☆
Ambiance ★★★★☆
Taste ★★★★☆
Address
1 Chome-17-10 Nihonbashiningyocho,
Chūō, Tokyo 103-0013, Japan
