This place really tested my patience because I would never imagine myself queuing for more than 1.5 hours for a tempura don. But there's a reason why Hannosuke attracts long queues daily just like the famous sushi shops in Tsukiji.
Cheap, Big, Delicious.
They served one and only one dish and that is the Edo Mae Tendon, an ultra big bowl of tempura with 1 whole Anago, tender ika (cuttlefish), 2 big prawns, 1 green pepper, 1 slice of seaweed and...Tempura Egg. Nori, Ebi and Ika
But I found it hard to queue for this shop compared to other because the aromatic smell of sesame oil was spreading to every corner of the streets, whetting the appetites of hungry customers.I'm not kidding when I'm talking about the portions as even an average normal guy commented that he was stuffed after emptying the bowl.
How often do one get a Tempura Egg in a Tempura Don?
Each ingredient is deep fried with a practiced hand and the yummiest parts are the delicate morsels of flavourful golden batter. Unlike the typical pale yellowish tempura, they have been drizzled with the tare, which seeps to the rice. The tempura alone justified the extreme long wait, though I wished there were more tare to go with the rice.
The Anago was surely huge and meaty than the past Anago I've had. That said, I though the tempura ika (cuttlefish) was the most stunning and masterfully prepared piece out of all the seafood. It was so fresh and appetizing that even a non-cuttlefish eater like me could finish it in less than 10 seconds.
*Available for takeaway as obento at same price but no tempura egg due to hygiene reasons
Kaneko Hannosuke 金子半之助
-11-15 Nihonbashi-Muromachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Access: Mitsukoshi-mae Station Exit A1
Mon-Fri 11am-10pm
Sat-Sun 10am-9pm