Located in the shopping mall Luqua 1100 attached to Osaka Station, this Chinese restaurant offers a dish inspired by the origin of mapo tofu, Chen Mapo Tofu. However, with a founding date of 1862, they seem a bit confident, don't they? I had always assumed it was just a chain restaurant, even though they offer authentic mapo tofu. I decided to stop by out of curiosity. Lunch was already over, but they had a great value set menu for dinner. The mapo tofu set was 1,980 yen including tax. I also ordered the tantanmen noodles and spicy stir-fried white fish as individual dishes. The stir-fried fish was crispy, probably cod, with the moisture completely gone and coated in a delicious blend of spices. The tantanmen noodles had a strong peanut and sesame flavor, with a great texture. The food was much better than I expected, very delicious. Now, the Chen Mapo Tofu...spicy. Wait, this is so spicy. The numbing sensation from the Sichuan pepper and the heat from the chili peppers are perfectly balanced. I've had some spicy mapo tofu before and thought I was used to it, but this was on another level. It has a lot of flavor, but my tongue and mouth are tingling. Can I finish this? I managed to eat it with extra water. The dim sum that came with the set was also delicious. The quality of the food here is quite high.

The lamb mapo tofu with rice set was delicious. I was expecting the lamb to have a strong flavor, but it was actually quite mild. The mapo tofu was tasty, although I wish it had more of a unique taste or impact. I'm not a fan of cilantro, but it was easy to avoid. Overall, it was a good meal.

Limited time offer of lamb mapo tofu for 1600 yen (excluding tax). Of course, you can add rice for an additional 200 yen. As a fan of lamb, I had high expectations. Upon taking the first bite, I was surprised - is this really lamb? It seemed like a finer mince than usual. As I continued chewing, a hint of lamb flavor emerged. The seasoning was the usual reliable mapo tofu flavor, but for those expecting a stronger lamb taste, it may feel a bit lacking. For a price difference of about 600 yen compared to the regular mapo tofu set meal at 1230 yen, and with no almond jelly included, I felt a bit unsatisfied. I wanted more of a wild taste and some chunky meat would have been nice. Looking forward to the next interesting menu item. I hope they bring back the spicy mapo tofu with offal.

I went to the Dining at Osaka Station and tried the restaurant known as the "origin of Mapo Tofu". It is the only place in the world where you can enjoy the "origin of Mapo Tofu". The restaurant is associated with the renowned chef Chen Kenichi, who is known for his authentic cuisine and Michelin-starred restaurants. The lunch set is a great deal, with the Mapo Tofu lunch priced at 1353 yen. The set includes Mapo Tofu, egg soup, pickled vegetables, almond jelly, and unlimited rice. The taste is a recreation of the first Mapo Tofu ever made in China, with a perfect balance of spicy and numbing flavors from chili and Sichuan peppercorns. The dish is flavorful and has a generous amount of minced meat, making it spicy but not overwhelmingly so. I enjoyed the taste and would definitely want to eat it again.

Squid ink mapo tofu with rice set. I can tell that the squid ink adds a bitterness and depth to the dish, but personally I didn't notice it much. I appreciate the addition of foie gras, but it felt a bit cheap. It's a limited-time offer until the 20th, so be careful not to miss it.

Cheese Mapo Tofu with Rice Set. The spicy Mapo Tofu with plenty of cheese on top was delicious, making it milder and richer. It was really tasty. It's great that you can get a rice refill. Be careful because it's a limited-time offer. I also want to try the Squid Ink Mapo Tofu starting from the 11th.

I met up with a junior colleague I hadn't seen in a while and we decided to have dinner together at Lucua. It was quite crowded, so we had to wait 20-30 minutes before being seated. We ordered a set meal which was delicious and very filling. The mapo tofu rice was especially tasty.

On a Sunday afternoon, I found a long line everywhere, but then I found a restaurant. I think it's a place that serves mapo tofu, but I chose the seafood stir-fry set meal. The seafood was so fresh and delicious! The price was a bit high, but today's fried dish, which included a star anise?, had a sweet fried mochi-like taste that was amazing. I didn't know the name of the dish, but it was a feast! Thank you!

The daily special Chingjao Rosu for 1350 yen. Hmm... It's just okay. Not bad, but nothing special either. Compared to Bamiyan, it's double the price, so I feel like I got a bit ripped off haha. While other restaurants nearby have long lines, I was able to get in right away. It's probably just a matter of cost performance.

On the second day of our family trip, we stayed in Osaka. My companions were tired from visiting the aquarium and wanted to relax at the hotel, so I decided to go to Umeda by myself. I was craving mapo tofu, my favorite dish in the world, so I found a restaurant and ordered the mapo tofu set meal. I asked for the "Authentic Chen Mapo Tofu," which was said to replicate the taste of the original Sichuan restaurant. The mapo tofu arrived in just 5 minutes, looking exactly like I had imagined. As soon as I poured it over the rice and took a bite, I was in heaven with the rich flavor and spicy taste. It was so delicious that I wished I could make it at home. It paired perfectly with beer. I thought I was satisfied after getting a second serving of rice, but I felt like it needed more Sichuan peppercorns. I tried to use the pepper mill on the table, but nothing came out. When I told the staff, they brought over the pepper mill from another table, leaving the empty one on mine. I was disappointed that the peppercorns were not ground properly, and it dampened my mood. Also, they didn't ask me about the brand of beer I wanted, unlike with other customers. Despite some flaws, there were still customers waiting even at 5 pm, so I hope they continue to improve.

I love mapo tofu, and a while ago I tried the mapo tofu, stir-fried beef tripe with chili oil, and saliva chicken at a restaurant in ATC during an Asian fair. It was so delicious that I decided to visit the restaurant. Instead of ordering a course meal, my partner and I ordered a la carte. We shared the mapo tofu with rice (large) and shrimp chili xiao long bao. The food was amazing, especially the mapo tofu with plenty of chili oil. It was rich and flavorful, made with beef mince. The shrimp was also very fresh and big. I had to skip alcohol this time, but I think enjoying a course meal with alcohol next time wouldn't be a bad idea. The restaurant was not crowded on a Sunday night.

I ordered a set of Ebi Chili with mini Mapo Tofu! The spiciness of the Mapo Tofu was just right and delicious. The shrimp in the Ebi Chili was large and juicy, very tasty. You can also get free refills of rice, so it's recommended for those who like to eat a lot. The almond jelly at the end was refreshing and nice. I would like to try a different menu next time!

I had the shrimp chili for lunch. The shrimp was large and the portion was generous. It was different from the usual shrimp chili as it had a minced sauce, similar to mapo tofu without the tofu and not spicy. I enjoyed eating the shrimp first and then pouring the sauce over the rice. The pickled vegetables were delicious, and I was happy to see almond jelly included. It was convenient to be able to sit without waiting in line at Lucua Dining during a weekday break from work.

Located in Lucuaile, this restaurant offers a variety of Chinese dishes with mapo tofu as the main dish. I visited a few years ago and returned recently. The restaurant is spacious and there were a fair amount of customers, but I was able to be seated right away. The lunch menu is priced around 2000 yen, a bit on the higher side, but the portions are quite generous. I ordered the Chen Mapo Tofu lunch set (1890 yen before tax) and upgraded to the Hormone Chen Mapo Tofu for an additional 300 yen (limited time offer). The portion was quite large as usual. The Chen Mapo Tofu was spicy with a good amount of Sichuan peppercorns. However, it was a bit oily and lacked depth in flavors like hoisin sauce or saltiness. Overall, it was delicious.

During lunchtime, I ordered the Chengdu course for ¥3500. I asked if they could bring it out a little earlier because my companion had another appointment, and they rushed to bring out all the dishes at an incredible speed. They even forcefully removed plates that were still in front of us, which made me regret saying anything. Each dish was delicious, but the famous mapo tofu was so small that we only got one bite each when sharing with four people. I wish it had a bit more volume. I already liked this restaurant enough to buy their retort pouches for home, so I hope they pay more attention to their service in the future.

We made a reservation for the Chengdu course (tax included 3500 yen) for 4 people at 12 o'clock. The course can also be reserved for lunch. Honestly, I felt that the amount of food in the course was small. The mapo tofu was exquisite and the spiciness was just right. Next time, I plan to order a la carte lunch instead of the course.

It seems that they have multiple locations centered around Tokyo, and the first time I visited was over 10 years ago at the Akasaka Tokyu underground store. I entered as soon as the weekend lunch service started. I ordered the shrimp chili set menu and mapo tofu as a single item. As shown in the photo, the spiciness of the shrimp chili and mapo tofu is different. The shrimp chili is not spicy at all, even children can eat it. Perhaps because it was the weekend, the set menu did not include the pickled vegetables and almond jelly that were available during weekday lunches, but instead came with shark fin soup?, cabbage salad, and a side dish. There were a few extra items for someone who came to eat spicy food. It may have been changed to a different menu on weekends. It's no wonder that it was fully booked by 12 pm on weekends before, but this day had less than half the usual customers. Next time, I will stick to the mapo tofu set menu on weekdays.

I visited the restaurant around 1 PM on Tuesday. When I ordered Mapo Tofu for the first time, it was so spicy that I couldn't finish it. I thought I would never eat it again, but for some reason, I started craving it and rushed back to the restaurant. The lunch set costs 1,300 yen including tax, and you can have unlimited rice refills. It's extremely spicy for me, but incredibly delicious and addictive. I will definitely go back again. Thank you for the meal.

This seems to be the origin of the Mapo Tofu dish. The tofu itself has a strong flavor and is satisfying to eat. It is somewhat numbing, but not as painfully numbing as the current trend. You can add some Sichuan pepper on the table if you feel it's not enough. The rice was also delicious.

I am a big fan of Sichuan mapo tofu. I visited for the first time and was impressed by the authentic taste of their mapo tofu, with the sprinkle of Sichuan pepper powder on top and the use of garlic leaves in the dish. It was from Chen's mapo tofu, so it was as expected. I had only imagined the real Sichuan mapo tofu before, so I was thrilled to finally taste it. The dish itself deserves a 5-star rating, but I gave it 4 stars because the price was a bit high. Personally, it's not a place I can afford to visit frequently. I dream of going back someday, but for now, I will try to make Sichuan-style mapo tofu at home. The flavor was perfect. I highly recommend this place to those who enjoy spicy food.

Had lunch at Lucua. Visited this restaurant for the first time. I think this chain is located nationwide, so I probably have been to one of their stores before. The dish had a lot of garlic leaves and was not too spicy. The cost performance was average. Thank you for the meal.