Mall Food Crawl @ Nakano Broadway, Nakano, Tokyo

If the thought of wandering around Akihabara is something of a bygone decision, then Nakano Broadway is the next best place you can get your anime and manga fix. Located in the outskirts of the residential part of Tokyo, Nakano Broadway is a mall that is located in, well, Nakano. 

The famed entrance. 

However, unlike Akihabara, this is a retro mall where most toys and books are sold by one tenant: Mandarake. If you are a fan of Japanese pop culture, I highly recommend the place as all the usual suspects are located at one place. And if you somehow you cannot leave the area because of the rain (like me during my visit), what can you do?

One of the many interesting hallways

Why not have a food crawl in the mall itself? Thats what I did. The mall has a lot to offer and is already famous for the XL sundae from Daily Chiko. Many news outlets and Youtube videos have featured the behemoth that is an 8 flavour sundae cone. Although ice cream seems like a great idea for a hot day, it was close to lunch time and something more substantial seems to be in order. 

Time for some noodles

And there is nothing more Japanese than a bowl of udon with some fried toppings. Located just next to Daily Chiko and in fact, is ran by the same group of people, this noodle stall serves great and simple grub on the cheap.

The menu. If you cannot read Japanese, there are some basic English explanations there.

You can choose whether to have udon or soba, and then choose the type of soup you want which is either hot ("atatakai") or cold ("tsumetai"). If you intend to get the noodle and tempura set, which I do recommend you do, you can pick a tempura of your choice. 

Simple yet glorious

The noodles were firm and has a great bite. It has a unique texture that makes it stand out compared to other types of noodles or pasta. It has a very chewy consistency but the the outer part of the strands were silky smooth. As it was hot outside, even with the rain, the cold soup was a great heat buster. The dashi based broth worked very well with the noodles. 

Who says Japanese food is usually healthy? 

Note that the tempura that accompanies your bowl is of your choosing, regardless of the price. As such,  I recommend getting the yasai kakiage (mixed vegetables) tempura as it has a lot of texture and crunch. And is more on the more expensive side. Needing more substance, I included a top up of some battered salted chicken, which is called shio toriten in Japanese. Unfortunately the translation does not really hit the mark. I mean, Saltiness Chicken just does not sell. The udon set stood for ¥330 yen and the extra chicken was ¥80, which is a real bargain. Do note that you need to stand though. 

Time for some steamed delights. 

Needing something extra, I went to a shumai stall nearby for a box of the delectable porky treats. They also sell nikuman, which are steamed meat buns, which are the close cousin to the Chinese pao. Despite sharing the same name and looks as a dim sum staple, the shumai is definitely different than its Chinese counterpart.

Not the usual from your dim sum joint. 

The filling is soft and moist, where the contents of a Chinese siew mai is more firm and buoyant. It also tasted different, as I had bitten to shreds of cabbage inside, and vegetables are not present in its Chinese cousins. And instead of sweet sauce, this Japanese version is to be dipped with mustard. A peculiar combination, especially for an outsider.

More on the works. 

But it works, and it was surprisingly filling. There are other fillings as well, like scallops and prawns. But I thought it would be better to stick to the basics for now. My box was for ¥610, but you can have individual pieces if you wish. Oh and the shumai are made in the shop, which assures freshness. 

Such variety!

On hindsight, I now think that maybe I should have just one shumai rather than a whole box so I can taste more variants and ration valuable stomach space. So if you intend to visit here, please do not do the same mistake I did.

Time to have some ice cream. The prices are by the counter. 

Alas, the time for ice cream has arrived. Seeing as it was more to a tower of diabetes, I think a small one would be wise. And that itself was very good. Even for a small one, you can choose to have about 3 flavours and I choose the most incompatible of flavours: strawberry, coffee and ramune.

Triple trouble. 

However, all 3 flavours worked very well as the bitter coffee was tempered with the sweet fruity flavoured duo. It was a surprising as to how good it tasted. And the coffee has a strong caffeine kick too. There are other flavours like matcha and vanilla if you are keen on trying other stuff.

The stuff up close actually looked appetizing. 

Do note that this place has a lot of food in store and it is not possible to eat it all in one visit. The basement was where all the stall I have visited were located. It is also where the supermarket is located as well, which sell cheap yet complete bentos and also sushi. There are also other stalls like the butcher next to Daily Chiko which also sells cooked items like fried and grilled meats.

Would you dare try ramen this cheap? 

There are shokudos ("Japanese diners"), cafes and even a ramen joint in the upper floors. And rest assured that all the prices are much better than the ones in the main city. There is even a ramen place that sells ¥350 ramen. I was keen on trying it initially but seeing that is way too cheap for ramen, I had my reservations and moved along. 

The front counter for Challenger

Additionally, there is also Challenger crepe cafe, which is just opposite Daily Chiko. This crepe cafe also has great reviews and has all the stuff you need to get your crepe fix without going to Harajuku. There are a vast variety to choose from, from fruit stuffed ones to savoury ones and everything in between. Again in hindsight, maybe if I did not wolf down all that shumai I could have tried one crepe. Again, do not repeat the mistake that I have made.

The front of the supermarket, which has an amazing array of cooked food and food souveniers. 

Even if you are not an anime fan or a robot geek, Nakano Broadway is a place worth taking a slight detour into for its interesting yet affordable food options. The mall is just a 2 minute walk away from the Nakano Station on the Chuo Line. Note that most stalls only come alive around 12 pm, even though the mall is advertised to open about 10 am.