Saraudon @ Lao Lee, Chinatown, Shinchimachi, Nagasaki

 

A trip to Nagasaki is definitely not complete without a visit to Chinatown. Seeing that the prefecture is essentially a hotbed for Chinese culture and its history of being an entry point for Chinese merchants, a Chinatown would be one of the main highlights of the area. Or so the story goes.

The silence speaks volumes. 

Unfortunately, the pandemic has struck a blow against the tourism industry. In turn, lesser people have travelled into Japan. Even domestic travel has suffered a lot. And as such, the Chinatown area mostly consists of shops that are closed and shut. Which is a shame, as this is an epicenter of cuisine and culture. However, I was fortunate enough to find a few shops that are still operating. One of which is Lao Lee. 

A peek inside

Lao Lee is a local institution with a handful of restaurants in the Nagasaki area, and only one branch outside the prefecture, which is its Tokyo branch. It is pretty grassroots as it gets. And when you step in, you get the feeling too. The place feels pretty rustic and local. With the menu consisting of wooden panels by the wall and a basic but homely interior, it is unpretentious in its front.

Old school menu

When it comes to main food items to savour, most people would think of champon. For the initiated,  it is a noodle and vegetable soup dish. You can say a fusion between ramen and a stir fry. However, I had champon many times and instead, I was looking forward to its close relative, the saraudon. It is basically a crispy fried noodle dish whereby it is coated in a starchy and creamy sauce that is loaded with vegetables and pork. Occasionally seafood will come into the fray. A combination of textures and flavours indeed. A plate of this luscious dish stood for a mere 900 yen. I also ordered a serving of 3 boiled dumplings, which stood for 390 yen. 

Bite sized wonders

The dumplings came first. They were simple yet tasty. The outer layer was chewy and supple. It had a bite that was done perfectly. The inner meaty core was juicy and you can feel the granules of the meat that made it what it was. It had a light tinge of garlic and was a little salty. It was decent and was able to set up my appetite for more. However, it is considered above average in terms of dumplings and you can get stuff like this in most well known shops. 

Oh baby!

The saraudon sang a different tune though. Going though it was an absolute blast. If you are a person that loves contrasts in textures, this dish is for you. The noodles were golden and crispy. It has a biscuit-like quality to it, and it had a nutty flavour behind it all. The sauce was rich, gooey and had alot of ingredients going on. 

Hidden golden treasures. 

Eating this was quite the experience, as it could be a bit tricky to navigate through this plate of food. You can first clear the sauce and the ingredients bit by bit and then work your way into the noodles. Alternatively, you could crush the crispy and crunchy shreds and mix it with the gravy. Either way, it will make eating much more fun than your usual slurp and bite. 

Seafood galore. 

The shop was also pretty generous with its ingredients. There was a lot of squid, prawns, and fish cake in the dish which gave even more textures to experience and flavours to enjoy. If you are a fan of seafood noodles, this is what you probably have been dreaming of. In the end, I left a very satisfied customer.

The main gate of Chinatown. 

It is such a shame that Chinatown is not as bright and vibrant as I thought it would be. Hopefully, once the pandemic is over, it will be given the chance to return to its former glory. However, if you are somehow in the area, why not get some local treats? And if you are interested in trying out Lao Lee on your own, then the address is as follows:

10-10 Shinchimachi, Nagasaki, 850-0842

Front of the house.