Kanshirou - Restaurant run by tofu shop

Last Sunday, my mother took me for a drive. This time, we went to Kanshirou (勘四郎), a restaurant specialized in dishes with tofu and other soy products. It is run by a tofu shop Sube Shoten (須部商店) . They have produced tofu for 140 years by using natural ground water in Miyakoda in Kita-ku (North Ward) of Hamamatsu. The restaurant is situated in the rural area near mountains.

As Kanshirou is a popular restaurant, we made a reservation before we left. Until the restaurant was opened at 11:30, we looked around in the store in the same house. They were selling a variety of soy products in addition to this regular tofu seen in many supermarkets in Hamamatsu.

We got interested in these soymilk doughnuts. They are ovo-vegetarian as they contain egg powder. Each bag contained three doughnuts, so I bought one to share with my parents. It looked and tasted delicious.

Another interesting product was tofu croquettes. Croquettes (called “korokke” in Japanese) are sold any supermarket in Japan, but it is very difficult to find vegetarian/vegan ones. According to the description, these tofu croquettes don’t contain meat and egg. The main ingredients are tofu, plant oil, onion, carrot, dried mashed potato, breadcrumbs, granular soybean protein, sugar, salt, etc. They almost seemed to be vegan.

I bought a pack with two croquettes and ate them for dinners. The inside looked like this. They were fluffy with tofu, which may be a little different from croquettes sold in supermarkets.

The store also had tofu skins,

snacks such as soy pulp crackers,

black soybean tea, etc.

These are only a few examples. There were so many interesting foods that I felt like coming again on some other day. The store wasn’t very big and was crowded with people who waited for the restaurant to be opened. At 11:30, each group was told which table they should sit at. Luckily, we could go upstairs as my mother expected.

As soon as we came to the second floor, we noticed that the restaurant limited the number of customers to keep social distance. We saw only two other groups sitting distant from our table. And my mother and I could keep a distance from each other thanks to a big table between us.

Since there was no one by the window,

I could come closer and see rice fields outside.

This was my first time to eat out since the beginning of March, and I was glad that the staff was very careful to avoid a crowd inside the restaurant. It felt spacious and relaxing. As this building was a renovated old Japanese-style house, thick wood was used for the ceiling. Unfortunately, only moon-like lights can be seen in this picture.

Under this corona period, menu was limited to four items. My mother and I ordered “Fresh Yosedofu Set” and “Fresh Deep-fried Tofu Set” respectively. Yosedofu is a kind of tofu that is not formed in a mold to be pressed. I got some of it from my mother. It looked like, and I ate it with sauce, ground sesame, and green onion. Fresh yosedofu was warm and much softer than ordinary square tofu.

And this is my “Fresh Deep-fried Tofu Set.” As side dishes, there were chilled tofu, miso soup, and cooked vegetables.

The main dish was neatly arranged deep-fried tofu. I gave some pieces to my mother. This tofu was supposed to be eaten with sauce, soy sauce rice malt, ginger, and grated daikon radish. Though I often have similar dish at home, this fresh deep-fried tofu felt less oily outside and tasted much better.

Though chilled tofu was just a side dish, it was impressive. It seemed that the green onion sauce contained sesame oil, and I liked such a flavor. After eating soft warm yosedofu, this cold and harder tofu felt different from usual.

This is 16-grain rice, which has been winning popularity in recent years. We could choose between white rice and 16-grain rice, and both of us chose this.

In fact, I can’t remember how the rice tasted because the volume of the tofu dishes was over whelming. Even the miso soup and cooked vegetables contained deep-fried tofu. When I finished, I said to my mother that I wouldn’t need to eat any tofu products throughout the next week.

Finally, we had the dessert and tea that were also included in the set. The dessert was tofu mousse with green tea flavor, and the tea was soy pulp tea. I liked the smooth texture of the dessert and brown sugar syrup on it.

I think Kanshirou’s tofu products are recommendable to vegans and vegetarians. But I have to point out one thing. According to their website, they use broth made from “bonito and other fish” and “kelp” for everything. I suppose this “everything” includes every sauce. When I ate at Kanshirou, I thought fish broth might be used for miso soup and cooked vegetables as in other restaurants but thought somehow that sauces for tofu dishes were animal-free. It may be because I’m used to eating them with soy sauce at home. It’s embarrassing.

This time, the options were limited. But usually they have a menu item “Soy Pulp Pizza with Seasonal Vegetables” that seem to be vegan. It is said clearly on the website that egg, wheat flour, milk, and meat are not used. The ingredients are tofu, soy pulp, corn starch, olive oil, tomato miso, salt, and seasonal vegetables. I have never had such a pizza crust made from tofu, soy pulp, etc. When this corona period is over and normal menu is available, I’d like to try this pizza.

Kanshirou
Address: 5531 Miyakoda-cho, Kita-ku, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka
Tel: 053-428-7667
Opening hours (as of June 30, 2020): 10:00 – 15:00
                                                Lunch: 11:30 - 13:30 (LO)
Closed: Thursdays