Seikoen: Prawn Noodles Made Only With Fresh Prawns | Yokohama Chinatown

Hi everyone, it's Boss.

Seikoen's signature dish, prawn noodles.

Let me get one thing out first.

This place uses nothing but fresh prawns. If you love prawns, this restaurant is as good as it gets.

Why even upmarket restaurants use frozen

Prawns are expensive, and fresh ones mean waste. That's why even upmarket restaurants mostly use frozen. At lunchtime, more so.

Here they put fresh prawns into a regular menu item, generously, at any time of day.

You can taste it. The texture is on another level. You can genuinely fill up on prawns.

And it goes further than that. Once prawns are peeled, they have to be used the same day or they're lost.

It's only possible because the owner is the chef, holding both the buying and the cooking in his own hands.

You keep finding more prawns

There are loads of them. Every time you lift the noodles, more appear. It's a treasure hunt.

I think "this is unbelievable" every single time.

The broth is salt-based and lightly thickened, with Chinese cabbage, bamboo shoot, wood ear and spring onion. It clings nicely to the medium-thin straight noodles.

Sei-san and his wife

It's run by owner-chef Sei-san — the restaurant is named after him — and his wife. The two of them, together.

When I come here with a group I say "just bring whatever's good today." And it works. I think that's a real achievement; it shows how much range a restaurant has.

I always say look for the old signs. This is one of those places.

Watch the video

Seikoen 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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