Rakuen: Braised Beef Rib on Rice, and How to Pick a Restaurant That Never Misses | Yokohama Chinatown

Hi everyone, it's Boss.

Braised beef rib on rice.

When it comes to beef rib in Chinatown, I have three favourites: Rakuen, Anki and Aigun.

All three are Cantonese. Same genre, yet the seasoning and the way they braise are all slightly different. If you ask me which is best, I can't pick. Where I go depends on the mood that day.

At Rakuen, the meat still has bite

People tend to say beef rib should be braised until it collapses. This one is different.

You can chew it. The fibres of the meat are still there. I prefer it this way.

The flavour is gentle.

In photos it looks rich and heavy. It isn't. There are no sharp edges to the taste, so you don't get tired of it, and you don't stop eating. Before you notice, the bowl is empty — and the portions here are among the biggest in Chinatown.

While I'm here, one tip

Here's how to find a restaurant in Chinatown that never misses.

Look for an old sign.

Competition in this town is brutal and surviving is genuinely hard. If a place is still standing, it means its regulars are devoted. The age of the sign is the depth of that support.

Rakuen is one of those. It has the air of an old-fashioned Chinese restaurant, and the lady who runs the floor is wonderfully easy-going. Their pork buns are a hidden classic — the dough is excellent.

"Oh, young lady"

One more thing. This is about my wife, Maki Hayazono.

When Maki was small, the Hayazono family ran a scarf business in Yokohama. They apparently held client dinners and staff parties at this restaurant all the time.

So the lady here still calls Maki "young lady" whenever she sees her. She's past fifty now.

Inside, time stopped somewhere in the Showa era. The food is good, but for Maki this is a place packed with memories.

Her grandparents were brought here too, so the Hayazono family has been coming for four generations.

Watch the video

Rakuen is a short walk from ROUROU. If you're stopping by our shop, give it a try.

The videos are on Instagram @y.chinatown_boss. Have a look if you like.

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