A note on the words: yodare-dori is Sichuan “mouth-watering chicken”, poached breast under a numbing-spicy sauce; doubanjiang is the fermented broad-bean chilli paste at the heart of Sichuan cooking; char siu is Chinese roast pork; Shaoxing wine is the amber rice wine drunk alongside. Prices are as of this writing (August 2026).
Chugokusai Chu S Sawada, Shin-Marunouchi on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Drinkers, good morning! It is Hangover Meshi time.
Chinese food this time! I have become somewhat obsessed with chilled jellyfish lately, so I wanted a shop that has it. Chilled jellyfish is a dish that either exists on a menu or absolutely does not! I happened to be out around the Imperial Palace, and searching turned up an excellent option: “Chugokusai Chu S Sawada, Shin-Marunouchi”.
“Chugokusai Chu S Sawada” runs on the concept of Michelin flavour made casual — the Tokyo outpost of Osaka’s one-Michelin-star “Chugokusai S Sawada”! It is on the 5th floor of the Shin-Marunouchi Building, and the open, airy interior looks pleasantly casual.
S Sawada is famous but I had never been, so I was looking forward to it!
A good range on the menu.
They do lunch courses too, but there is no telling whether jellyfish appears in them! A la carte it is!
First, a drink in hand…!
Yes — jellyfish! This is what I came for.
S Sawada’s chilled jellyfish carries nothing superfluous: it competes on the jellyfish alone, plus sesame and the fragrance of yuzu. Excellent. One bite and the texture is wonderful! A crisp, clean snap, with a firm spring that survives continued chewing. As you would expect of a Michelin house, the care taken over everything from rehydrating to desalting to seasoning reaches you the moment it enters your mouth! Utterly unlike the limp jellyfish you meet elsewhere!
The dressing is sweet-sour on a black vinegar base, with the fragrance of sesame oil, the edge of white pepper and the brightness of yuzu riding on top — simple but with real depth. Ordered alongside a room-temperature glass of Shaoxing wine, the crunch and the sharpness of the drink are a perfect match!
Yodare-dori! Chicken breast finished gently in residual heat, judged exactly so that the fibres fall softly apart while the juiciness stays. And a great heap of the house Sichuan-style sauce on top — delightful.
A sweet-sour base of soy, black vinegar and sugar, layered with the tingle of sichuan pepper, chilli heat, the fragrance of sesame oil and the freshness of chopped spring onion — a sauce with real depth. The coriander on top suits it beautifully!
One bite and the gentle savour of the chicken and a numbing heat bloom softly through the mouth.
And next, obviously — Chinese food means mapo tofu, does it not?!
The first impression is of a notably thick mapo tofu. The colour is deep too, somewhat unlike the mapo tofu you meet elsewhere.
One bite: yes, delicious.
The bright fragrance of sichuan pepper rises first, then the deep body of doubanjiang and the savour of the pork, and finally the numbing and heat arriving slowly. The deep fermented savour of Pixian doubanjiang and the clean tingle of sichuan pepper — authentic Sichuan style.
The tofu is firm momen tofu that does not collapse, and the sauce is on the stiff side, which made me think it is remarkably easy to eat on its own.
How interesting — a mapo tofu with real character!
Oh — visibly loose and separate! It looks superb!
The decisive difference is the state of the rice! Neither clumped and soggy nor dried out, but each grain independent while faintly moist — exactly right.
Scooped with the spoon it crumbles softly and slides into your mouth without clinging — a very pleasant thing!
The fillings are char siu, egg, lettuce, green beans and prawn, I think — a layered structure where each chew reveals a different savour. The toastiness of the egg, the smokiness of the char siu and the snap of the prawn combine perfectly!
The seasoning is very gentle, leaving only natural savour behind. Delicious!
S Sawada at the Shin-Marunouchi Building turned out to be an excellent place to eat serious Chinese food without ceremony — I am glad to know it. Every dish differs from what you get elsewhere in one or two clear ways, which is part of the fun. The jellyfish, the mapo tofu, the yodare-dori — you can taste what makes this house itself! If you are nearby, why not look in^^
May you meet something good to eat today too.
Chugokusai Chu S Sawada, Shin-Marunouchi (Chinese / Tokyo Station, Nijubashimae Station, Otemachi Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.6
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
