Heno Heno

What does Heno Heno mean?

You’re probably wondering if Heno Heno has any meaning. I asked in the restaurant and got the information that it is the short form of Henohenomoheji and it is about a children’s story. On Wikipedia I found the following explanation. So that you can get a picture, I put a photo of the scarecrow, which you can always find in front of the restaurant, next to the explanation.

Henohenomoheji (へのへのもへじ) or hehenonomoheji (へへののもへじ) is a face known to be drawn by Japanese schoolchildren using hiragana characters.^[1]

The word breaks down into seven hiragana characters: he (へ), no (の), he (へ), no (の), mo (も), he (へ), and ji (じ). The first two he are the eyebrows, the two no are the eyes, the mo is a nose and the last he is the mouth. The outline of the face is made by the character ji, its two short strokes (dakuten) forming the ear or cheek. Henohenomoheji is often used to symbolize a nondescript or generic human face, such as the faces of kakashi (scarecrows)^[1] and teru teru bōzu.

Wikipedia

What is there to eat at Heno Heno?

But now we come to the most important, the food at Heno Heno. The menu is always slightly adjusted, but basically no major changes are made in the layout and the dishes. That’s a good thing, because the dishes on the menu are simply the best. The labeling has been limited to three things: milk, sesame and vegan – the latter is indicated by a green leaf. Heno Heno’s menu fits on one page and is available in English. It is divided into the following categories.

Starters

The starter category is very varied and offers many interesting dishes and something for every taste, e.g. Miso soup, Onigiri (Japanese rice bags), Edameme (boiled and salted green soj beans), Hijiki (sea vegetables).

Rice dishes

Dons are the focus in this category. There is the gü-don with beef, the vegetarian don with egg and the vegan don. The base of these dishes served in a bowl is always rice. For the individual Dons a few extra toppings can be selected. These include Onsen Tamago (poached egg), Syoga (pickled ginger) and marinated tofu strips.

All Dons can be ordered in three different sizes and are thus suitable for any hunger.

Also part of the rice dishes is the curry. It is a beef curry Japanese style.

Noodle dishes

The third and last category are the noodle dishes or rather soups. Udon with wheat noodles or soba with buckwheat noodles are available. Both variants are available as vegetarian, with marinated tofu, beef or beef curry. By the way, there are two sizes for the soups.

How is Heno Heno set up?

Heno Heno view to the stove

As it is common in Japan, the decor is rather Spartan. The place is not very big. On the right side is the open kitchen and in front of it a long counter. If you sit down here, the food is prepared right in front of your eyes. On the left side of the room there are tables standing along the wall.

Although Heno Heno is located in a side street and there are not a lot of walk-in customers here, the restaurant is always full, especially at lunchtime. Often it is hard to get a table. Who wants to make sure that he gets a seat should make a reservation or avoid the main meal times.

Conclusion

In my opinion a very authentic Japanese restaurant away from sushi clichés. Small but very varied menu. The food at Heno Heno is delicious and light. It has a friendly and fast service and prices for all dishes are well below 10 euros. I can highly recommend Heno Heno to you.