In December 2023, the lights of Saika were turned on for the first time in three years and ten months. This family-run restaurant, which opened 48 years ago, originally served set meals under the name Lihua. After renovations to the building, the restaurant changed its name to its current name in 1993 and has since been serving the gentle flavors of dishes enjoyed daily in Chinese homes. While chef Chang'an Toshie has no formal training, she has honed her skills thanks to the support of relatives who are skilled cooks, and the restaurant's unpretentious cooking and the atmosphere it creates, which she runs in tandem with her husband Hideyuki, have become popular.
Due to Toshie's health, the restaurant was only open on Fridays and Saturdays from around 2015, and her second son, Tatsuya, began helping out. In addition to working at a company, he also worked in the restaurant on the first floor of their home in the evenings to support the family business.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in February 2020, the restaurant was closed as a precaution. During that time, Tachika quit his job and decided to take over the restaurant as owner once it reopened. "Until then, considering my parents' ages, I had thought the restaurant would close in the near future. However, the closure, with no end in sight, gave me time to decide that I wanted to do it myself." During the closure, he made preparations, such as obtaining a chef's license, in preparation for the day it would reopen.
He grew up watching his mother happily working in the kitchen and eating the dishes she made, and he loved cooking. However, there must have been a certain amount of pressure when he took over the restaurant that his parents had run as a new career.
"There were parts where we started with a lot of momentum, but if we were nervous, we wouldn't have gotten started. A year and a half has passed, and things have stabilized."
They have carefully reviewed the seasonings, menu items, and ingredient selection. They have toned down the sweetness a little to reflect changing tastes over time. They have also streamlined their product lineup to reduce waste, and changed the supplier of pork used in braised pork because "pork with the skin on tastes much better." They have also expanded their alcohol menu. However, these are all due to their desire to preserve the specialty and protect the reputation of Saika.
By the time Tatsuya decided to "take over," he was a certified master chef. Toshie says he has almost no say in the restaurant's affairs. However... Looking at the fried rice that was made for the shoot, Toshie muttered in a low voice, "The portions have gotten bigger since she (Tatsuya) took over. With everything, even rice, becoming more expensive these days, I wondered if it was okay." While maintaining its spirit of service and gentle flavors, this local Chinese restaurant in Yutenji continues to evolve, little by little.
