If you're heading to Nagasaki on the spanking new bullet train and feeling a bit peckish, just let your hunger build until you get to the new Nagasaki Station (designed by Yasui architects - check it out here:
https://www.yasui-archi.co.jp/en/works/detail/661317/index.html ).
Then hop off the train and beetle over to 蘇州林 (Sosyuurin) in the station restaurant mall to enjoy a steaming bowl of Nagasaki's signature dish, 長崎ちゃんぽん (Nagasaki Champon).
What is "Nagasaki Champon"?
Okay, here is Wikipedia's definition of champon:
Champon is made by frying pork, seafood and vegetables with lard; a soup made with chicken and pig bones is then added. Ramen noodles made especially for champon are added and then boiled. Unlike other ramen dishes, only one pan is needed as the noodles are boiled in the soup. Depending on the season and the situation, the ingredients differ. Hence the taste and style may depend on the location and time of year.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champon
The Origins Of Nagasaki Champon
Nagasaki Champon was first created by a Chinese restaurant called "Shikairo" that opened in Nagasaki in 1899 to serve the large Chinese population of the city. Champon was sold as a cheap and nutritious dish for Chinese students. The restaurant owner was born in Fujian Province in China and created Nagasaki Champon by combining Fujian cooking techniques with Nagasaki ingredients.
With all that in mind, it will be no surprise that Sosyuurin Champon restaurant where we had lunch as soon as we arrived in Nagasaki is actually a Chinese restaurant: https://sosyuurin.com/
角煮割包 Pork Filled Kakuni Buns
We ordered gyouza and Chinese steamed pork-filled "bao buns" which are called "Kakuni buns" on the restaurant website, and commonly known as "chuka man" in Japanese. Bao buns are a speciality of the Fujian province of China, I believe.
The gyouza (Japanese dumplings made with ground meat and vegetables wrapped in a thin wheat flour dough then pan-fried until crispy, and served with a dipping sauce) were standard fare, but it was the first time to try "kakuni buns." Unlike regular Japanese steamed "nikku man" that you can buy as a cheap snack in any convenience store, which are filled with minced pork, the pork inside the kakuni bun came as a thick cut but tender slice of stewed pork and was delicious; definitely worth trying.
We will be returning to Nagasaki one more time, in March, for our daughter's graduation ceremony, so it is highly likely that we will revisit Sosyuurin for another round of Nagasaki Champon and pork-filled bao buns!
Kirin Classic Beer
More good news! Sosyuurin has Kirin Classic on its drinks menu.
Chap Style Note
In the photos, I'm sporting my new merino wool turtle neck top that I picked up in the Janaury sales for a ridiculously low price - less than 15 quid - from this UK shop: https://outdoorknitwear.com/en/
And, amazingly, I didn't splash any champon soup or drop any bao bun sauce on it during the noshing of victuals.
Cheers!
David Hurley
#InspiredFocus