Ganso Henkutsuya Sohonten Shintenchi

The original Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki was born in 1950, shortly after the end of World War II… I wrote that when I introduced Micchan Sohonten Hacchobori in my previous blog entry. But there was an earlier okonomiyaki restaurant in Shintenchi that claims to have been established in 1947. That restaurant is the Ganso Henkutsuya Sohonten okonomiyaki restaurant that I will introduce here.

When I learned of this fact, I too thought, “What? I thought to myself, “What? “Are either of you lying?” But after a little more research, it seems that neither of them are lying. If you trace the roots of the original Henkutsuya Sohonten, you will find that it was founded in 1947 (Showa 22) as a food stand. The person who started this food stand was friends with the father of the founder of Micchan Sohonten, and they were the only two people serving okonomiyaki in Nagaregawa at that time. Later in 1954, the friend transferred the food stand to Shizuko Kawahara, the founder of the Ganso Henkutsuya. In other words, it is not surprising that Ganso Henkutsuya Sohonten can also be called “Ganso,” and it is a legendary restaurant that cannot be avoided in the history of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.

So, one evening during my stay in Hiroshima, I went to Ganso Henkutsuya Sohonten in Shintenchi to have okonomiyaki to end my day. What kind of okonomiyaki can you expect at a legendary restaurant that has been in business for over 70 years? Curious, I headed to the restaurant…

Ganso Henkutsuya Sohonten is a restaurant where the main branch and the Shintenchi branch are next door to each other…

Ganso Henkutsuya Sohonten is a business that is divided into two separate stores. Since the two stores are located next to each other, one might think, “Why don’t they just make one store? The main store is on the left with the entrance in front of you, and the Shintenchi store is on the right. The Shintenchi branch seems to be open later in the evening than the main restaurant, and since I could not make it to the main restaurant in time this time, I went to the Shintenchi branch next door.

The restaurant has a tasteful atmosphere and is quite old-fashioned, with 12 counter seats and three tables seating four people. The okonomiyaki is cooked on a large L-shaped teppan (iron plate) along the counter, so unlike at the Micchan Sohonten Hacchobori, you can watch the cooking process right in front of you and even eat the finished okonomiyaki on the plate (note: counter seats only). After all, isn’t it better to eat okonomiyaki on the iron plate, especially during the cold season? In that sense, Ganso Henkutsuya Sohonten is a great place that really captures our feelings.

Oyster Soba with Meatballs: If you go to Hiroshima, you must have oysters… I enjoyed another root of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki at Ganso Henkutsuya Sohonten’s top menu!

What I ordered at Ganso Henkutsuya Sohonten’s Shintenchi branch this time was the restaurant’s top-of-the-line okonomiyaki menu item, the Oyster Soba with Meatballs. After about 20 minutes of waiting, the slow-cooked okonomiyaki arrived in front of me on the iron plate…

The okonomiyaki at Micchan Sohonten was flat as if pressed from above, but this okonomiyaki is taller and more three-dimensional. If the entire surface were covered with egg, the visual would be similar to the Denko Sekka’s 3D okonomiyaki.

Now, let’s try the okonomiyaki… The noodles are made of Chinese noodles with very low water content and have a heavy texture. The cabbage and bean sprouts under those noodles are steamed, and when I chewed them in my mouth, the vegetables’ sweet juices seemed to come out in a sizzling sensation. But there wasn’t anything like a sense of unity between the soba and the vegetables. Maybe I’m exaggerating a bit, but I felt like I was eating okonomiyaki and soba separately. The sauce is a bit spicy and adult-like. Perhaps it tastes really good with beer.

This okonomiyaki is topped with five oysters. They looked like pretty big oysters when they were raw, but the heat from the oysters caused them to shrink to a smaller size. Hmmm, so sad! But thank you, thank you for putting five grains on the plate. The heat from the iron plate tightened the meat and filled the oyster with flavor… Since we eat oysters dipped in sauce as fried oysters, there is no reason why they should not go well with okonomiyaki sauce as well.

I left the restaurant after thoroughly enjoying Ganso Henkutsuya Sohonten’s okonomiyaki, which can be said to be another root of Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki. Compared to the Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki I had eaten before, it seemed to be characterized by a heavier texture derived from the firmness of the Chinese noodles. The volume is also reasonable, and I think it would normally satisfy my stomach. They are open until relatively late at night, and I think I could get into the habit of eating one on my way home from work or a drinking session….

Examples of other menu items at Ganso Henkutsuya Sohonten (prices include tax)

• Soba Special (Soba with meatballs, squid, and shrimp) 1,200 yen
• Ika (squid) with buckwheat and meatballs 1,050 yen
• Shrimp with buckwheat and meat ball: 1,050 yen
• Ika-ten (squid tempura) with buckwheat & meat ball: 1,000 yen
• Cheese with buckwheat & meat ball 1,000 yen
• Mochi with buckwheat & meat ball ¥1,000
• Soba with buckwheat and meat ball: 850 yen

Access to Ganso Henkutsuya Sohonten Shintenchi branch is a 4-minute walk from the nearest station, Hacchobori (Fukuya-mae) Station on the Hiroshima Electric Railway Line.

Ganso Henkutsuya Sohonten also offers nationwide delivery of okonomiyaki. They deliver okonomiyaki that has been baked at the restaurant, instantly cooled, and vacuum-packed, so even those who have never baked okonomiyaki before can enjoy the same quality of okonomiyaki at home as they would at a restaurant. Especially for first-time buyers, you can save money with free shipping on a set of 2 pieces of meatball soba and meatball udon! Here is the link to the mail order page. If you are interested in Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, why don’t you order it to your home and give it a try?

Now, here are the details of the restaurant…