Iwasaki Honpo Nishi-Hamamachi — Restaurant in Nagasaki

I tried the Japanese version of Kakuni Manju (Pork Belly Buns) at Iwasaki Honpo in Nagasaki Chinatown to compare it to the Braised Pork Belly Bun (Kong Bak Pau). Priced at ¥600, the Kakuni Manju features a light, fluffy steamed bun paired with fatty, tender, and melt-in-your-mouth braised pork belly. Its savoury-sweet flavour was perfectly balanced, with the pork’s rich, melty fats adding to the indulgent experience.

Compared to Kong Bak Pau, the Kakuni Manju is less spiced and sweeter, with a softer texture. In contrast, the Kong Bak Pau is more heavily spiced and leans toward a savoury flavour profile. Both are delicious, but the Kakuni Manju stands out for its subtle sweetness and pillowy bun, offering a unique twist on a...

We came across a cute little shop called Iwasaki Honpo Nishi-Hamamachi 岩崎本舗 西浜町店 back in October near our hotel. It's the perfect snack if you like fatty pork baos.

When we entered, the offered us some samples. They mainly socialize in kakuni manju (fatty piece of pork wrapped up in a soft white bao bun).

While the most popular version is 500 yen, the extra fatty one (the bag with the black ink in my pic) is the one you should get... at 600 yen, it's a steal. It just melts in your mouth and is so amazing.

Had to make sure I came back to try this again because it's so good. They also have an outlet at...

Happened to see this place open as I was walking towards Chinatown and saw they sold the Nagasaki specialty, kakuni manju. It was the definition of comfort food. I ordered both varieties of the pork bun, and they were both so soft, warm, and satisfying. I could have eaten a whole plate of them. And yes, the "more tender" one was even better. I came back the next day for more.

They also sell the famous cremia soft serve here. Highly recommend if you're a soft serve and dairy fanatic. The cultured cream taste with the crispy langue du chat cone is like no other...