TACKNMON
The thriller movie "Saw X," the tenth installment in the beloved "Saw" series featuring the notorious killer Jigsaw and his deadly games, is set to be released on October 18, 2024. I'm really excited because I love this series! It always comes out around Halloween.
Now, today I visited 【Water Dumplings MR. LEE】, located just a three-minute walk from Shibuya Station on the 4th floor of Shibuya Sakura Stage, which opened in July 2024. The restaurant features signature water dumplings and hand-wrapped fried dumplings, along with craft beers and whiskies from Taiwan, as well as a selection of wines from various countries. During lunchtime, they offer popular dishes like Lu Rou Fan (braised pork rice), various types of fried rice, ramen, and desserts like Douhua (tofu pudding).
I dropped by on a weekday afternoon, thinking today would be a good day to try Sakura Stage. My last visit was to the neighboring Mexican restaurant, so I decided to try this one next. I wonder if it’s Chinese or Taiwanese? I entered and found that there were counter seats, making it comfortable for solo diners. The table by the window also looked nice. I took a seat at the counter and discovered I could ask for a basket for my belongings. I just grabbed one myself. There were a decent number of customers for this time. The staff's service was average; maybe some were new? I noticed that I could also place orders via a QR code, and they offered Wi-Fi and PayPay payment options.
Today, I decided to order the 【Meat Sauce Fried Rice Set】 for 1300 yen. It took a little while for it to arrive. It seemed like there was only one person in the kitchen, and I thought it might be a good idea to train others in the front of the house to help out since some were just standing around looking idle. They didn’t mention where the chopsticks and napkins were, which were located under the table, so that could be improved.
Anyway, I started eating. The salad was small but fair. There was a small dish of pickled mustard greens, and two water dumplings came with the meal. I wondered if I was supposed to eat them as they were or if there was a sauce, but I decided to try them plain. They were delicious! The dumplings were soft, and the filling inside was tasty. As for the soup, it was a bit thin. I realized it needed some seasoning like soy sauce, chili oil, or vinegar to enhance the flavor to my liking.
The main dish, the fried rice, was very simple and somewhat lacking in taste on its own. It turned out to pair perfectly with the meat sauce, which had a bolder flavor and was quite delicious. It was hot and fresh, making me want to take a big bite right away. Oh no, my water was gone... but no one noticed, and I wish they would just keep a pot on the table. I finished it off quickly.
Was it worth 1300 yen? It’s within the acceptable range, but I think they could definitely improve the overall operation. If you’re going to call yourself "Mr.," you should show a bit more enthusiasm! I was a bit strict with my judgment here, but the atmosphere was nice, and the place looked clean enough to be useful. By the way, I wonder if there’s any connection to The Bovetts’ debut song "Mr. Lee"?
Thank you for the meal! Take care!