Who cares about which came first when Tamahide clearly knows that the chicken and the egg are a combo best served at the same time? 

A legendary restaurant in Tokyo’s Nihombashi Ningyocho district is opening its doors again for the first time since closing in 2022 for extensive renovations. Welcome back to business, Tamahide–we missed you!

When Tamahide first opened way back in 1760, it specialized in shamonabe, a kind of chicken hotpot dish which remains on the menu to this day. Now, however, Tamahide is most famous for oyakodon, a chicken and egg (“oyako” literally means “parent and child”) rice bowl dish that it is also said to have been invented sometime in the Meiji period (1868-1912) when staff began adding egg to leftover shamonabe and serving it on top of rice.

Even today when Japanese people hear the word “oyakodon,” many of them strongly associate it with Tamahide–a sign of its immense culinary impact.

The restaurant is a five-second walk from one exit of Tokyo Metro’s Ningyocho Station. Previously it was located in a detached house, but after extensive renovations, the 12-story Tamahide Building now stands tall. Its second floor is set to house a bar specializing in nihonshu (Japanese sake) while its 12th floor is slated to become a high-end shamonabe restaurant, though the opening date has not yet been announced.

While Tamahide will open for full-time business beginning on November 1, we were able to attend a sneak peek of its new form at a special event on October 19 and 20 in conjunction with an annual neighborhood fair. We splurged on the “Original Oyakodon,” which at 2,800 yen (US$18.58) is significantly more expensive than a typical oyakodon that you’d buy elsewhere for lunch, but we figured it was worth it to sample the dish’s actual origin story.

The chicken used in the dish is of the Tokyo shamo variety, which is an older and well-known breed. A single bite told us all we needed to know about its firm texture and deep umami flavor.

Of course, the quality of the egg and rice was also top-notch, and everything balanced together perfectly to result in the ultimate oyakodon dining experience. We could taste the care and attention that went into its making, right down to the soy sauce and mirin used in the seasoning.

We’d highly recommend trying Tamahide’s oyakodon when it resumes full business operations next month, even with its hefty price tag. Of course, if you’re not in the mood for chicken and egg, we can also recommend the well-established katsudon pork cutlet restaurant almost directly across the street from it instead.

Restaurant information
Tamahide / 玉ひで
Address: Tokyo-to, Chuo-ku, Nihombashi Ningyo-cho 1-17-10
東京都中央区日本橋人形町 1-17-10
Open: 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m.
Website

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