We visit the famous Taimeiken restaurant in Nihonbashi

The following was originally featured on dennisamith.com:

Are you an omurice fan?

In Nihonbashi (Chuo ward) is a restaurant well-known for serving omurice and the restaurant’s name is Taimeiken.

The restaurant is probably popular for its Tampopo Omurice, a dish in which Itami Juzo’s famous 1985 film “Tampopo”, the name was inspired by the dish he would eat at Tameiken. The popular dish was even featured in the film at Taimeken’s second-floor kitchen.

In fact, the restaurant is a hub for famous writers, poets and entertainers who dine at the restaurant.

Taimeken, the western-style restaurant founded in 1931, is popular for its curry and omelet rice that appeals to everyone, no matter the age or gender.

The roots of Taimeiken began when the owner Modegi Shingo who needed to find a job in 1927, as the family business wasn’t doing well. His fascination with western restaurants led to him training at a restaurant called Taimeiken in Kyobashi, Tokyo and Shingo was introduced to Western and Chinese cuisine. By 1931, he was able to go independent and would use the name “Taimeiken” for his restaurant in Shinkawa, Chuo-ward.

By 1948, he moved the restaurant to Nihonbashi and instead of the kanji for Taimeiken, he used the Hiragana for Taimeiken and in 1960, he would go on to create “Cooking 110”, a free cooking consultation service which continues to this day.

As he got older, he noticed that if he ordered two dishes, he could only eat half of one dish and the other would go to waste. Wanting to do something different with Taimeiken, he wanted to create the concept of serving unique small dishes.

Aside from Taimeken, Modegi Shingo would establish the Japanese Samurai Association in 1969, as it was a big hobby to collect samurai memorabilia especially kites. And on the fifth floor, of his building that has the Taimeiken restaurant, he would open a small kite museum on the fifth floor.

But because Taimeiken was one of the well-known western restaurants in the Chuo-ward area, it would be frequented by celebrities.

While Modegi passed away in June 1978, his recipes continues to live on through his eldest son, chef Modegi Masaaki (who shares the same passion of kites as his father and wrote “The Making of Japanese Kits: Tradition, Beauty and Creation” and many more cookbooks) and Masaaki’s grandson, chef Modegi Hiroshi (who is considered the third generation of Taimeiken).

Hiroshi has went on and established sister shops of Taimeken at various locations in Tokyo and also expanded the business by opening a delicatessen in the basement of Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi. And just like his grandfather and father, he is also into kites and kiteboarding. As well, as surfing and cars. And like grandfather and father, he has also wrote several books.

In fact, once you get to the door of Taimeiken, you will be greeted by a cardboard cut-out of Modegi Hiroshi.

So, let’s talk about Taimeiken. It’s a restaurant that I had on my bucket list for years. There are two well-known western restaurants that are older and that is Rengetei in Ginza and Taimeken in Nihonbashi, the former being the oldest.

Once arriving to the location, there was a line of people waiting to get served and by looking inside, you can see a good number of people dining in the area.

I noticed people from different countries wanting to eat at the restaurant and as we waited, after 20-25 minutes outside (it was freezing cold when I went), you get inside and it’s another wait for about another 15-20 minutes. Fortunately, when you get inside the building, there are a few chairs and if it’s freezing cold, there was heating inside.

So, you can sit for a shortwhile if your legs are starting to hurt.

But once you get closer to getting served, you can observe the menu in both Japanese and English.

Once you are seated, the waitress (who spoke English) was there to take my order. I went for the restaurant’s signature dish, the famous Tampopo Omurice (which is priced at Y1950) and crab cream croquettes for Y980 (via the lunch special).

It’s important to note that Taimeiken is considered a classy and long-standing establishment. And the prices reflect that.

The restaurant was clean and for the most part, it had the feel of a western diner.

The food did not take long to arrive right after ordering, my tampopo omurice was first. The crab cream croquettes came afterward.

The tampopo omurice is Taimeiken’s signature dish, the dish featured in the film “Tampopo” and is known because the rice is not inside the omelet. The egg is on top of the ketchup rice.

There are instructions on how to eat Tampopo Omurice. Slice the omelet down the center to reveal the creamy center. Top it off with ketchup or demi-glace (depending on which one you requested) and eat!

Needless to say, I ate this dish quickly!

Since I was getting rice already with my omurice, I omitted the free rice that came with the lunch meal (thinking I would be full, but I probably should have kept the rice as it has a special pork saute with ginger sauce which made me curious afterward). You get a small mashed potato and salad which came with the cream croquette.

But the dish was absolutely delicious. The omurice was cooked with perfection and the cream crab croquette was also delicious.

But for nearly Y3000 or so that I spent, I was still hungry as the meal was not huge. I suppose I have been spoiled with Pomme no Ki, known for their many types of omurice dishes and you can select how many eggs and how big your dish would be, as well as getting served with a few other cool dishes for less than Y2300.

With that being said, this is not like eating a Denny’s or Jonathan’s, you are paying to eat at a famous restaurant and the dining experience reflects that. But the price is still within the confines of what I consider normal Tokyo dining which is Y1500-Y4000. Which is not bad, considering restaurants I have been to can cost over Y10000 to Y35000 (especially if you are into Kobe steak or high-end wagyu).

While the wait was a bit longer than I would like, it was something I was preparing for because of the popularity of the restaurant. With that being said, if you want shorter wait times, there is an even more expensive menu on the second floor, which I have yet to try. The second floor I heard is for those who want to eat in a better location, not deal with wait times and are willing to pay a bit more for the convenience.

How much more? I noticed the tampopo omurice is Y2800 versus Y1950.

Granted, you don’t have to go for the most expensive dish on the first floor like I did. There are many cheaper options and if you aren’t very hungry, you could eat small and purchase what was listed in the menu.

But if this is a one-time experience, then why not try the restaurant’s signature dish, the tampopo omurice? For me, it was definitely worth it!

But the restaurant no doubt has a a long history which has attracted many famous people to dine there but also to attract many visitors who want to try one of the long-running western restaurant establishment in Tokyo. Taimeiken is recommended!

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