A note on the words: happosai is a stir-fry of seafood and vegetables bound in a light thickened sauce. Yuxiang rousi is shredded pork in a sweet-savory-spicy “fish-fragrant” sauce, and tantanmen is the Japanese take on dan dan noodles. Gomoku means “five kinds,” used loosely for a dish with many ingredients. Meshi in this blog’s name simply means “meal.”
Chugoku Meisai Son on Tabelog (English) — opening hours, payment details and the Japanese address are kept up to date there, not here.
Right, this is Hangover Meshi. Feeling somewhat hungover, I headed to Midtown to do some shopping. Errands done, I thought about eating something before going home — and hold on, isn’t there a place near Midtown serving gentle Chinese food that suits a hangover perfectly! So I decided to go, for the first time in ages. “Chugoku Meisai Son.” The place that bills itself on having the youngest holder of the top-grade Chinese chef qualification!
First time back in a long while!
Happosai and black-vinegar sweet-and-sour pork set — 2,300 yen (about $15 as of this writing, August 2026; apparently for two people and up!)
Yuxiang rousi — 1,500 yen
Chef Son’s tantanmen — 1,200 yen
“Gomoku” hot-and-sour thickened noodle soup — 1,400 yen
How is the menu looking? Has it changed?
I think the tantanmen was there before! This time I thought I would go for the set of seafood happosai and black-vinegar sweet-and-sour pork, which needs two or more people and which I do not think I had tried back then either! (And we happen to be two or more!)
Soup first.
This soup is what you would call quietly deep, ha.
The salt is truly kept to a minimum. A very, very gentle flavor. Eat it with real attention and it is deep and delicious.
This is the kind of taste you want with a hangover, ha. Easy on the stomach.
Next, the seafood happosai!
An elegant happosai, this too.
One bite in, and there is a slowly spreading depth of dashi savor. And, as before, only a faint saltiness.
That is about all there is, but that makes the thickened sauce a supporting player through which the flavor of each individual ingredient comes through clearly. Delicious, ha.
Two side dishes. Cabbage, and something simmered.
And this is the black-vinegar sweet-and-sour pork.
Not the loaded-with-ingredients version you often see in Japan — this is sweet-and-sour pork made so you can enjoy the meat with elegance! Here too, the tartness is well judged and very good!
It is a seasoning that goes with rice. Honestly, it is so gentle that it makes you wonder how strongly flavored the things you normally eat must be, ha.
House-made mango pudding. Delicious!
So: Son after a long absence, and still delicious! The defining thing has to be that seasoning — very gentle and light, yet you feel the flavor clearly. It also feels definitely easy on the stomach, so besides hangovers, coming here now and then to reset from the heavily seasoned things you usually eat and recalibrate your palate might be a good way to use it, ha. Maybe I will try coming at night once next time.
Son, Roppongi (Chinese / Nogizaka Station, Roppongi Station, Roppongi-itchome Station)
Tabelog lunch rating ★★★☆☆ 3.5
I ate here and paid for it myself. Nothing on this site is a comped meal.
One more for the road?
