“Chugokusai Shinka” at Nishitenma

I had lunch today at a Chinese restaurant in Nishitenma called “Chugokusai Shinka”.
The owner worked at a Chinese restaurant in Gion, Kyoto as the head chef for many years and opened a restaurant here last month that apparently specializes in shark fin, seafood, and Kinka pork.
There are three options on the lunch menu, and my mind was made up in no time!
“Sichuan Mapo Tofu Special” (950yen)

The steamy mapo tofu that was slowly simmered in an earthen pot looks absolutely delicious!

(ﾟДﾟ)Yummy!(ﾟДﾟ)Yummy!

Wow! Delicious!
The heat from both, the Sichuan peppers and red peppers, is well balanced, and neither is overpowering while the umami loaded with a sense of luxury is wonderful!
The umami blends well with the perfectly smooth silken tofu. This is really good!

I put some on my rice, and…

(ﾟДﾟ)Yummy!(ﾟДﾟ)Yummy!

Wow! Delicious!
It goes perfectly well with rice, and you just cannot stop reaching for more rice!

These are the side of spring rolls.

(ﾟДﾟ)Yummy!(ﾟДﾟ)Yummy!

Wow! Delicious!
The tenderness of the shrimp and squid along with the crunchiness of the shells are phenomenal. The flavors are over the top!

Soup…

(ﾟДﾟ)Yummy!(ﾟДﾟ)Yummy!

Yum!
The umami is condensed, and the ground meat makes for a nice accent!

On the menu are Dessert (300yen) and Lychee Tea (150yen), which are not included in the special, but the owner offered them to me for free!
For Dessert, your options are Almond Jelly or Shaoxingjiu Pudding. I went with the Shaoxingjiu Pudding.

(ﾟДﾟ)Yummy!(ﾟДﾟ)Yummy!

Wow! Delicious!
This is surprisingly delicious!
The pudding is so rich, you would think it was cream cheesecake with just a slight scent of the shaoxingjiu that fills you with a taste of luxury. It is just that delicious!

Lychee Tea…

(ﾟДﾟ)Yummy!(ﾟДﾟ)Yummy!

Delicious!
From start to finish, I enjoyed the entire experience filled with a taste of luxury!
For this much satisfaction, 950yen is honestly too generous!

The lunch specials on the weekends and holidays are slightly different from the weekdays’, but you can still order the mapo tofu, so that is one reason to be happy!

The restaurant itself is very clean and elegant with a relaxed atmosphere that will have you thinking you are not in a Chinese restaurant.
Now they have got me curious about their dinner menu. I will definitely be back!