Visited on September 14, 2023 (Thursday) around 11:40 AM. Ordered the five-vegetable stir-fry (a lunch staple). This restaurant used to be an eel restaurant before. The owner of a nearby long-established food shop mentioned it, so I decided to check it out. The raw vegetables, almond jelly (served in cups), and rice porridge are self-service.

The prices were reasonable, and everything we ordered was delicious. They also changed our plates frequently, which was nice. The location is convenient as it is close to the station. The restaurant is long and narrow, with small tables in the front and large tables in the back, making it easy for solo diners to feel comfortable.

I ordered the mixed vegetables, crab fried rice, and mapo tofu, all of which were delicious. The mixed vegetables and crab fried rice had a mild flavor, while the mapo tofu was just the right level of spiciness and the tofu was soft and flavorful. When I asked for some Sichuan pepper, they brought it to me and it enhanced the aroma of the dish. I enjoyed my meal and would like to try other dishes on the menu next time.

Around 1 pm, about 90% of the customers were speaking Chinese. I ordered the Sichuan-style spicy pork stew. While waiting, I helped myself to a salad and almond jelly. The Sichuan-style spicy pork stew was more numbingly spicy than just hot, with plenty of vegetables under the meat for a good balance. Sichuan cuisine offers different levels of spiciness to choose from, so next time I want to try the extra spicy option (for an additional 150 yen). They don't accept cards during lunchtime, so I paid with PayPay.

Today I wanted to eat Chinese food. I casually entered this restaurant, and to my surprise, the inside was crowded with Chinese customers (the staff were Chinese and speaking in Chinese). I thought I might be able to taste authentic flavors! Plus, during lunchtime, they had self-service congee, salad, and almond jelly. I thought I had found a great restaurant! But when the sweet and sour pork I ordered arrived, it only had cabbage and pork. I wanted to add some bell peppers from my fridge... haha. The menu had photos showing bell peppers and red bell peppers, and when I make it at home, I also add green onions! The taste was delicious, but having fewer ingredients than what is shown on the menu is not good. So, I will give a slightly lower score for that.

I didn't have high expectations because there were few reviews, but all the dishes were delicious. The Sichuan-style stir-fried pork belly had a lot of chili peppers, but as soon as it arrived, the good smell increased my appetite, and it was spicy and I want to try the mapo tofu next time. We ordered the following three dishes for two people, and it cost 3,000 yen. - Authentic Sichuan-style stir-fried pork belly - Stir-fried garlic pea shoots - Braised pork belly fried rice

On this day when I visited Waseda by walking, I wandered around looking for a place to have lunch and stumbled upon this nice-looking restaurant, so I decided to go in! Among the reasonably priced lunch menu options, I ordered the restaurant's recommended Sichuan-style Mapo Tofu lunch set (880 yen)! The lunch set came with the main dish, rice, soup, salad, and almond jelly! After waiting for about 10 minutes, the Sichuan-style Mapo Tofu arrived in a hot iron pot! I tried it right away, and even though it was quite hot, the perfect combination of spicy oil and Sichuan peppercorns created a deliciously numbing and spicy flavor! It was perfect as a side dish for rice! Encountering such an authentic Sichuan-style Mapo Tofu was fantastic! If I have the opportunity to visit the area again, I would love to revisit this restaurant!

This is a review of a Chinese restaurant located in the space that used to be an eel restaurant (Suzukin) between Lawson and Super Sankyo, near the Takadanobaba side of the Waseda Station on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line. On a weekday night, my son and I visited the restaurant and were seated at a table towards the back. There were about three other groups of customers. We ordered the "Cheers Set" which includes a draft beer, a plate of peanuts, and a choice of one dish from six options. We chose the Sichuan-style saliva chicken and added more dishes from the menu. We opted for the Garlic Stir-Fried Pea Shoots, the Salt-Fried Seafood Trio, the Crab Fried Rice, and the Dim Sum Trio. Despite it being a Sichuan cuisine restaurant, we avoided selecting dishes that were too spicy or numbing. The saliva chicken had a good balance of spiciness, umami, and a tingling sensation. It was delicious, although it might be too spicy for children. The Garlic Stir-Fried Pea Shoots unexpectedly had a lot of bird's eye chili peppers, giving it a nice kick. The Salt-Fried Seafood Trio, priced at 980 yen, was a great deal with generous portions of shrimp, scallops, and squid. It was the standout dish of the night. The restaurant seems to maintain a consistent pricing policy for its dishes, making the higher-priced dishes relatively more worthwhile.

Today, I visited Anahachimangu Shrine near Waseda Station for prayers and on the way back, I went to a nearby authentic Chinese restaurant called Kawahuhuyou. The entrance was very narrow but inside, there was quite a depth and it was surprisingly spacious. I ordered the 880 yen lunch which came with salad, porridge, rice, and almond jelly with free refills. I also ordered liver and leek stir-fry with chicken. As expected in a student town, the portion was huge and I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious it was!

On October 19, Reiwa 4 (Wednesday), I found out that a new Chinese restaurant had opened along Waseda Street near Waseda Station. Thinking it was a Sichuan cuisine restaurant, I decided to try some spicy and numbing dishes. The restaurant had a long layout similar to an eel's bed, with tables lined up horizontally. The tables near the entrance were for four people each, and all the customers were Chinese. The menu seemed to feature all spicy dishes, with a category called "Extreme Sichuan" on the third page offering a variety of options. The individual dishes (chicken, beef, white fish, duck) tended to be on the pricier side, with two types of mapo tofu catching my eye. One was the typical spicy Sichuan mapo tofu with the option to increase the spiciness, while the other was a white mapo tofu that wasn't very spicy but had a strong flavor of Sichuan peppercorns. I opted for the white mapo tofu with extra spiciness and also ordered a bowl of white rice. The service provided by the Chinese staff was polite and friendly, which enhanced the dining experience. When the white mapo tofu arrived in a clay pot, it was bubbling hot and looked delicious. However, due to the extra spiciness I requested, it was quite red from the chili oil. The white mapo tofu had a strong numbing sensation from the Sichuan peppercorns, but the spiciness was just right for me. The white rice was also very tasty, perhaps because it was cooked a bit firm. Overall, I was satisfied with the meal, but it would have been even better with some pickles and soup on the side. I realized that the white mapo tofu is best enjoyed as is, and if you want more heat, you can add the chili oil provided on the table. In conclusion, it was a good restaurant experience.

The other day, I noticed that a new Chinese restaurant had opened in front of Waseda Station. It seems to be a Sichuan cuisine restaurant based on the lunch menu displayed outside. I decided to go inside without making a final decision. When I mentioned that there were two of us, we were guided to a table at the back of the restaurant. We were informed that we could order from the regular menu even during lunch time, so my partner ordered the Mapo Tofu & Eel Rice Bowl Hot Pot (1,380 yen) at normal spiciness, and I ordered the Original Spicy Daoxiao Noodles from the lunch menu (800 yen). We also ordered the Shrimp Dumplings (500 yen), Jellyfish and Cucumber Salad (500 yen), and Tsingtao Beer (price unknown). After placing our order, we were told that there was a self-service corner with salad, porridge, and almond tofu, so we went to get some. The salad was simple, but the porridge was delicious! The self-service corner is a good option for university students who want a hearty meal. The Jellyfish and Cucumber Salad arrived next, with a Sichuan-style red color, but it wasn't too spicy. The texture of the jellyfish was a bit disappointing. The Shrimp Dumplings were delicious, with chewy skin and juicy shrimp filling. Then our main dishes arrived. My partner's Mapo Tofu & Eel Rice Bowl Hot Pot had eel topping over the mapo tofu. He found the numbing sensation from the Sichuan peppercorns to be too strong. As for my Original Spicy Daoxiao Noodles, the aroma of Sichuan peppercorns filled the air as soon as it was served. While the numbing sensation was strong, the spiciness was mild, and the soup was not too intense. The noodles lacked a chewy texture, but the generous amount of vegetables was a plus. We ended our meal with the complimentary almond tofu. It was a bit too soft in texture. Overall, there were some delicious dishes and some average ones. With a few visits, we may be able to discover the tastier options. Good luck to the restaurant in Waseda. Thank you for the meal.

Authentic Sichuan-style stir-fried pork belly. When I entered, there were two women already seated. I ordered the stir-fried pork belly. Salad and congee were self-service. When the dish arrived, it was loaded with dried red chilies - almost a third of it was just chilies. I wondered if it was even edible. I tried to avoid them as I ate. Occasionally, I would bite into a whole chili, but the spiciness was manageable. The pork belly was a bit dry. The flavor was not bad. Drinking the soup occasionally brought out the spiciness. I started to sweat a little. I felt relieved after having almond jelly for dessert. Thank you for the meal.

It's April 2022, and I had lunch in Waseda. I found a new Chinese restaurant in a building down the Natsume Hill. It used to be Unagi no Suzukin, but it had been closed for a few years. I was curious about what would replace it, and it turned out to be a Chinese restaurant. I decided to have lunch there. The interior was decorated in a Chinese style, but it was mostly the same as when it was Unagi no Suzukin. I was seated at a table near the entrance, and I could sense that there were other customers at the counter and other tables as well. I looked at the menu and ordered the signature Sichuan-style Mapo Tofu. It came with rice, salad, and almond jelly. The salad and almond jelly were self-service, so I had to go to the back to get them. The salad was dry and messy because customers had to unwrap the plastic wrap each time to serve themselves. The Mapo Tofu arrived in a hot pot, and I chose the normal level of spiciness. It had a generous amount of tofu and was not too spicy, making it easy to eat with rice. The portion was satisfying, and I could have seconds of rice, which was also self-service. There was also Chinese soup, which filled me up. Although it was labeled as Sichuan-style, it was quite a conventional Chinese dish. There is another Chinese restaurant called Tei in Waseda, which seems to have higher quality, but it's a bit far from the station. Overall, it was a good meal, and I hope they improve the quality of the salad.

The noodles were chewy, with a good balance of numbing sansho pepper, spicy chili oil, and delicious flavor. The other menu items also looked delicious, so I would like to come back again.

The lunch menu is the same on weekends as well. There are quite a few construction workers from nearby sites and solo Chinese customers. Just like the previous eel restaurant, they offer a salad (cabbage only, with sesame dressing or Chinese dressing), porridge, and almond jelly in the back during lunch. Since there are many set meals, you may not need to eat the salad and porridge. The sweet and sour pork has plenty of meat. The hot eggplant hot pot has a rich flavor that goes well with rice. The steamed chicken with scallion sauce may seem light, but it comes with a large piece of chicken thigh. The cost performance of the set meals is so good that even dishes like crab fried rice and cold noodles seem expensive in comparison, but they also come in generous portions. The dumplings with crispy skin are delicious and addictive, so I want to order them, but I can't finish them all.

There is Hoppy available. The food is delicious. The portion size is a bit large for drinking alone.