I work from Hatsudai to Sasazuka to Yoyogi. Today, I feel like eating something spicy. I pass by the Szechuan restaurant I visited the other day. I'll go for the soupless tantanmen today. I was thinking about the mountain climbing on Sunday and here it is. I mix it up. I eat it. It's not as spicy as I thought. I sprinkle plenty of sansho pepper. It's just right. It has less volume than mapo men. Since there is quite a lot of sauce, I add some rice. I thought I might want some broth to drink. I might prefer mapo men personally. Thank you for the meal!

Working in Yoyogi today. I feel like eating mapo tofu. There is a Sichuan restaurant nearby. And it's affordable. They have mapo noodles without soup. I want to eat that. They accept payment via PayPay. I ordered the mapo noodle set. Mix it all together and eat. Delicious! The balance of spiciness and flavor is great. The noodles mix well with the sauce. The portion size is good too. It tastes even better with some sansho pepper. It would have been nice to have some vinegar. You can enjoy Sichuan restaurant food at a reasonable price. The leftover mapo tofu goes well with rice. It's like a mapo rice bowl. The rice is delicious too. Finished eating! Thank you for the meal!

I tried the soupless tantanmen that was added to the menu. It cost 1250 yen with rice included. The flavor was quite creamy with a strong sesame taste. I recommended the spicy level, but compared to mapo tofu, it may not be spicy enough for those who like spicy food. The rice portion was normal, but there were plenty of toppings in the soupless tantanmen, so I was satisfied with the amount of ingredients.

I visited around 19:30 on a regular day and the restaurant was about 70% full. I walked from Shinjuku, but it might have been better to go from Yoyogi because it was really hot... I ordered a half-size mapo tofu and rice set for about 1,000 yen, which was a good deal. The draft beer goes down smoothly! I chose the normal level of spiciness, but I still broke a sweat. It has a numbing sensation, so it's a truly authentic mapo tofu.

I sometimes drop by this place at 1 pm on Saturdays because all the nearby lunch spots are crowded and this place is relatively empty. The interior is clean and the food is delicious. There is also a mapo tofu restaurant in Southern Terrace, and it seems like there are more mapo tofu restaurants popping up in the neighborhood.

A high-level and quick serving of mapo tofu! I'm okay with spiciness, but I'm not a fan of Sichuan pepper, so it's great that I can adjust the spiciness finely, like without Sichuan pepper. I'm okay with both, so I choose spiciness level 1-3 depending on my mood. Levels 2-3 make me sweat a lot!

I love spicy food so I went to Sichuan Restaurant Ma Po Tofu. The name is quite bold, which makes sense as it's a well-established restaurant. I ordered extra spicy, added garlic (which was delicious), and added cilantro. I also had a drink called Sichuan Lemon Sour. The food was delicious and I kept eating, but in the end, the oil got to me. It might be a weakness of Chinese cuisine. If there was a little less oil, I might have been able to drink one more glass of alcohol. If it's nearby, I would like to visit this restaurant occasionally. Thank you for the meal!

I ordered the mapo tofu set meal with the spiciest option and one shumai. I could handle the level of spiciness, but as you can see in the photo, there was too much oil, which made it a bit overwhelming towards the end. It's great that they allow you to adjust the spiciness, but I wish there was a difference in flavor from just adding chili oil.

Arrived at 6:30 PM on Saturday. The place was empty. The combination of noodles and white rice in the set menu is a bit strange. I ordered the soupless tantanmen for 1050 yen and gyoza for 150 yen (gyoza can also be ordered separately for 500 yen for 2 pieces). They provide Sichuan pepper and prickly ash as a topping, but it's recommended to add them yourself. The spiciness was not too strong and had a hint of sweetness. The noodles were soft and chewy, and the portion was decent. The gyoza was a bit small for the price, not worth 500 yen for 2 pieces. There were already 4 staff members even though it was just opening, seems tough for them.

The title says it's easy, but the price goes over 1000 yen for a set meal. However, the taste is authentic and I keep coming back for more. I have already tried the mapo tofu set meal with normal spiciness twice, increased spiciness once, and the mapo noodle set meal once, so this time I ordered the mapo tofu set meal with reduced spiciness and extra rice. (Please note that the ticket machine does not accept cash, I use paypay or Suica). With the reduced spiciness, the taste of sweet bean sauce stood out. I didn't feel the spiciness, but I still started sweating while eating. There is also an option without spiciness, but after trying it this time, I think normal spiciness is the best, so I will go back to that next time.

I visited the restaurant on a Tuesday around 7 PM and was seated right away. I ordered the mapo noodles with 2 pieces of gyoza on top, as well as the oil-splashed chicken. The mapo noodles had a nice level of spiciness and flavor, making it a delicious choice. The portion of mapo tofu was just right, with a little bit left over to enjoy at the end. The only downside was that the noodles didn't mix well with the sauce, but overall, it was very tasty. Personally, I really enjoyed the oil-splashed chicken. The crispy coating, juicy meat, balanced acidity, and generous amount of green onions made it a favorite of mine. It's a great place to casually enjoy Sichuan cuisine.

In Yoyogi, it's quite common for lunchtime to roll around without finding a go-to restaurant to repeat. However, while wandering around, I stumbled upon a new restaurant that had just opened! It seems to specialize in mapo tofu from Sichuan cuisine. I decided to give it a try since the restaurant had just opened. The ticket machine is cashless only. I purchased the soup-less mapo noodles set (1250 yen) and took a seat at the counter. I've been eating mapo noodles quite often lately, but the price is a bit on the higher side. The mapo tofu arrived in a fairly deep dish. The mapo tofu was delicious, as expected from a Sichuan restaurant! The noodles also had a good texture and paired well with the mapo sauce. I feel a bit guilty eating both noodles and rice together, but it's worth it haha. There was also a set with shumai, so I'd like to try that next time.

From Shinjuku Station's Shin Minami Exit, there is a fantastic Szechuan restaurant that serves my favorite mapo tofu. The main store is located in Akasaka. When I tried it in Akasaka, it was so delicious that I gave it a perfect score of ★★★★★. I also tried it at Tobu Department Store in Ikebukuro, but it didn't compare to the taste of Akasaka. Now, about this restaurant. It operates on a ticket vending machine system. I ordered the mapo tofu set for 1250 yen (tax included) and paid with electronic money (cash not accepted). I recommend getting it at a spicy level with a numbing sensation. The taste was amazing. The mapo tofu here is definitely special and delicious, with the perfect balance of spiciness, richness, depth, and the tofu itself. I have to say, the mapo tofu at this restaurant is top-notch. It's the best I've had, just like the mapo tofu at the Szechuan restaurant I tried before. Next time, I'll try it with noodles. It was incredibly delicious. Thank you.

Coriander and mapo tofu go well together!! I thought about having coriander in mapo noodles, but it works. It really works. The noodles are hidden under the mapo, and I felt like there was a small amount of noodles. Maybe there was a lot of mapo? They also give you a paper apron, which is appreciated. I want to try coriander x2 next time. Thank you for the meal.

Today's lunch was at Szechuan Hanbai in Yoyogi, where I ordered the Szechuan Hanbai Mapo Tofu set (1,250 yen). I opted for the large serving of rice since refills are available. The combination of the meat's umami flavor and the tofu's sweetness was delicious. The spiciness was just right, making it easy to enjoy with rice. The pairing of rice and mapo tofu was fantastic. It was delicious!

A Sichuan restaurant near Yoyogi Station has opened a specialty shop for Mapo Tofu. It is located next to the Musashino Oil Research Society. For those familiar with the old ramen shop that used to be in that area, this location might ring a bell. I ordered the Mapo Men (Mapo Tofu noodles) and Shumai set for 1400 yen. It's great to be able to enjoy Sichuan-style Mapo Tofu easily, and personally, I think the genre of Mapo Ramen should become more popular. I'm glad that Sichuan Restaurant has made this product available. I asked for the spiciness to be recommended level, but as someone who doesn't handle spiciness well, I think I would have enjoyed it more if the spiciness was toned down. I appreciate that they provide two types of Sichuan pepper on the table.

Today's lunch was at Sichuan Hanbai Tofu, as I was in the mood for Mapo Tofu. I ordered the Sichuan Hanbai Tofu Set (1,250 yen) this time. The rich flavor is great. At first, I thought the spiciness was a bit lacking, but it gradually became just right. Also, the pickled vegetables are delicious. The crispy texture and flavor are excellent. I'm already curious about going back for dinner. It was delicious!

This is a shop of Chen Kenichi's son, Chen Kenichi, who spread mapo tofu in Japan. It is a high-class Chinese restaurant that is a cheaper version of a conscious high-class Chinese restaurant called Szechuan Restaurant. *Cashless payment only. No cash accepted. [Mapo Tofu Noodle Set without Soup - 1400 yen] The mapo tofu noodles were medium spicy. Contrary to expectations, the flavor was weak and the mapo tofu did not taste very good. Personally, I liked the green Sichuan pepper out of the two types of Sichuan pepper on the table. It is better not to have high expectations for the legendary founder's mapo tofu. Above all, mapo tofu and noodles do not go well together at all. They just don't match. The noodles don't mix well with the sauce and are difficult to eat. I thought there was a lot of room for improvement. If you order the dumpling set, it comes with rice, egg soup, pickled vegetables, and one dumpling. As many people have written on various review sites, the mapo tofu does not go well with the noodles, so eating it with rice makes it more tolerable than with the noodles. The egg soup is a gentle Chinese soup and tastes decent. I wanted a refill. The pickled vegetables were average, neither good nor bad. It didn't have a distinctive Szechuan Restaurant taste. The dumplings were also disappointing. There is nothing particularly noteworthy. There are plenty of dim sum restaurants serving delicious dishes in the current Chinese food boom, so you don't need to eat here. [Overall] It was disappointing in every aspect, and the cost performance was poor. The taste of the mapo tofu was too ordinary. I think I could have chosen somewhere else to eat. There are plenty of choices in Shinjuku and Shibuya. Nowadays, restaurants that specialize in mapo tofu are run by owners of various races, offering it to Japanese people. In this environment, it felt like they were relying too much on being a legend. The service from the staff was not very good, and there was not much explanation given to first-time customers even though the shop had just opened. I hope that improvements will be made in various aspects in the future. I will give a critical evaluation with high expectations for future growth, considering that it is a major establishment.

Set menu of Mapo Tofu for 1,250 yen. I visited this newly opened restaurant before my Sunday gym routine. The menu offers a choice between Mapo Tofu and Mapo noodles. I chose the recommended level of spiciness, which was level 1. The meal included Mapo Tofu, rice, Chinese soup, and pickled vegetables. The Mapo Tofu was delicious, with a good flavor. They also provided two types of Sichuan peppercorns for aroma and numbing sensation, and I used the aroma type. Overall, it's a tasty restaurant but a bit pricey.

I visited the newly opened Sichuan Restaurant Mapo Tofu in Yoyogi. The restaurant is completely cashless and accepts various electronic money and credit cards. I ordered the Sichuan Restaurant Mapo Tofu and Shumai Set (1,400 yen) with recommended level 1 spiciness. The Shumai caught my eye. The Mapo Tofu had a good balance of umami, spiciness, sweetness, and aroma, making it delicious. Sometimes Mapo Tofu can be too salty or lacking in umami, but this one had a good balance of flavors. The Shumai had a good flavor of scallops and a sweet sauce, making it a good accompaniment to the spicy Mapo Tofu. Rice refills are free, so when I asked for a large portion for my second serving, the bowl and the portion size increased. The menu expands in the evening, so it's also a good place to come for drinks. It was delicious!