Alleyway Gourmet: Goemon, Nanluogu Xiang
Just around the corner from Nanluogu Xiang lies a slice of zen-like Japanese calm. Hidden behind an unassuming, unmarked storefront on Chaodou Hutong is Goemon, a recent opening that serves simple Japanese cuisine. Said storefront gives way to a minimal space with just a few seats at the bar and a tatami room up a set of precipitous steps.
The restaurant is named after semi-legendary Japanese folk hero Ishikawa Goemon, who, like the classic tale of Robin Hood, stole gold to give to the poor. Unlike Robin Hood, however, Goemon’s tale ends with him being boiled alive in a hot pot-style vessel along with his son after a foiled assassination attempt on a local warlord.
If that doesn’t get your appetite for huoguo flowing we don’t know what will, and luckily the menu here obliges with a selection of three types of color-coded hot pot (RMB 43): “white” (creamy sauce), “black” (soy- based sauce), and “red” (spicy). The red broth is pleasantlysweet and spicy, although we couldn’t help but picture poor old Goemon bobbing around in the bottom (those with less active imaginations will find meatballs, tofu, and mushrooms in the pan).
Udon noodles (RMB 33) are similarly color coded. The black variety are a riff on classic, wok-charred yaki udon with chicken and cabbage, finished with a sprinkle of bonito flakes and a fine lattice of Japanese mayonnaise. Don’t stop to question the validity of mayonnaise on noodles; just mix it all together and bask in the comforting carby aftermath.
The rest of the menu, like all the best Japanese restaurants, is short and to the point, with a handful of cold dishes and yakitori skewers, accompanied by a small selection of alcoholic drinks, including RMB 15 pints of Asahi draft. This, along with the brisk air conditioning, should make Goemon a popular spot for the remaining summer months.
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Photos: Robynne Tindall
