A note on the words: omakase means you leave the choice to the kitchen. Mapo tofu is tofu simmered with minced pork in a chili-bean sauce with huajiao, the numbing Sichuan pepper. Shark fin is served either braised in broth or as a whole fin, and here the braised version comes in its own soup. Tantanmen is the Japanese take on dandan noodles, sesame and chili, here served chilled; mazesoba is a brothless bowl you mix yourself. Shaoxing wine is Chinese rice wine, and laojiu means it has been aged. Sudachi is a small green citrus. Ebisu is a smart neighborhood one stop south of Shibuya. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
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Book a table at MASA’S KITCHEN on AutoReserve (English)
Right! This is Hangover Meshi. Well — I have wanted to come here for ages. MASA’S KITCHEN. It is a shop that turns up on television a fair amount, known for its mapo tofu but for shark fin too, and I had been meaning to visit one day. At last I have made it!
It is a short walk from Ebisu Station. A stylish sort of place!
Omakase course: 12,000 yen
Omakase course: 16,800 yen
Special course: 24,000 yen
Three courses, I think? Too much and we might not finish it, so
we settled on the 12,000 yen course for now, and since I wanted the mapo tofu as well, asked whether they could work it in somewhere.
Right — as soon as we were shown to our seats I checked whether mapo tofu was in the course.
It was not in this one, so I asked, “I would like the mapo tofu; could you fit it in somewhere?” and they agreed happily! Excellent! And then they mentioned that they had a caviar noodle dish they were recommending at the moment. We said we would like it but that a large portion might be too much, and they indicated that a smaller serving was no problem, so we had them add it. What a treat in store!
It was hot, so a beer first^^
Tsingtao Gold lol A premium Tsingtao of some sort.
The first thing out was the six-piece appetizer assortment.
Every one of them looks good. Being able to eat a range of things in small amounts is a pleasure! The mouth-watering chicken and the char siu were excellent — wonderfully juicy char siu. All of it refined! My expectations for what follows are rising!
This is the chilled Chinese noodles with caviar and abalone they recommended^^
It looks like pasta. There is a proper amount of caviar on it, which is promising^^ One mouthful and — delicious!
The savor of the caviar and the abalone is concentrated right down. I am glad we ordered it.
Chinese food, so I asked for Shaoxing wine^^ Guyue laojiu, ten years, drawn from the jar; 950 yen a glass!
Mellow and good!
I did not know spring rolls could be this refined lol
Crisp outside, packed with savor inside. With salt and sudachi you can taste the spring roll itself clearly!
You see corn soup fairly often in Chinese cooking, but this one has whole kernels in it.
And the soup itself is a clear Chinese broth that is far too good! You can taste the corn distinctly.
And then shark fin! You can choose between the shark fin steak and the braised version, and
since I really wanted the braised one, braised it was. It is a substantial piece of fin, but this broth is irresistibly good. Good enough that I would carry it around in a flask. Far too delicious! Bliss!
Sweet and sour pork with the meat at the center of it! A block of mellow richness and acidity!
The pork is juicy and sweet and good!!!
The mapo tofu they added for us!!!
This is what I came for. It looks beautiful, too.
One mouthful and — mm, a very gentle mapo tofu. You feel the heat, but it is a mellow heat. A mapo tofu with the savor pushed to the front, and seriously good. The sweetness comes through quite strongly. I am glad I ordered it!
Noodles at the end! You choose between chilled tantanmen and mazesoba, and I chose the chilled tantanmen!
It is cold, but the scent of sesame is firmly there, and it is good.
The portion was just right too — a well-balanced course!
And this is the mazesoba with cilantro^^ That looks good too!
Sorbet!
Ice cream. There are several kinds and you can pick whichever you like^^
Well! Thoroughly satisfied. The atmosphere is lovely, and it is a shop where you can eat outstanding Chinese food while enjoying a quiet conversation! I should have come sooner. The mapo tofu in particular is one you absolutely ought to have! The caviar cold noodles were excellent as well, so when they have a recommendation I would suggest asking for that alongside.
MASA’S KITCHEN Ebisu (Chinese / Ebisu Station, Hiroo Station)
Tabelog dinner rating ★★★☆☆ 3.7
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
