01 / ABOUT THE PLACE
About this place
Set along a main thoroughfare in Edogawa Ward's Matsushima neighborhood, Chinese restaurant Zenkoen draws nearby office workers and local residents looking for a hearty, filling midday meal. Lunchtime teishoku sets arrive with generous helpings of rice, anchored by crowd-pleasing staples such as authentically spicy Sichuan mapo tofu, sweet-and-sour pork glazed in a glossy sauce, and fragrant soy-sauce fried rice with braised pork belly. The complimentary bowls of velvety egg-drop soup and a nostalgic little bottle of probiotic lactic-acid drink rounding out the tray reflect the shop's warm, unpretentious hospitality.
When noodle cravings strike, the menu provides plenty of variety, from Sichuan-style tantanmen with thin noodles clinging to a rich broth, to hot and sour soup noodles balancing tang and chili heat. Diners can also choose soft or crisp noodles for the mixed-ingredient gomoku ankake yakisoba, or branch out into tomato-and-beef soup noodles and lighter chicken-and-vegetable options.
Evenings are well suited to sharing handmade dim sum—such as boiled dumplings stuffed with shrimp, egg, and Chinese chives, or pork-and-celery potstickers with lacy, crisp skirts—over cold beer or Chinese spirits. The chef's recommendations include XO sauce fried rice vermicelli, seafood chop suey, and deep-fried oysters tossed with salt and Sichuan pepper, making the dining room equally approachable for a solitary drink or a lively group dinner.
