Visit Information Date: Thursday, around 6 PM Reservation: Yes (30 days in advance, Tabelog) Wait: None Number of Guests: 1 Seating: Two-person table Frequency: First visit Duration: 3 hours and 40 minutes Payment: Credit Card (VISA) Food Menu ☆ Nobu Course: JPY 22,000 (including tax) ☆ Gentle Spicy Salad with Natural Kanpachi and Water Eggplant ☆ Red Chicken Bang Bang Chicken ☆ Sea Urchin and Fujian Rice Noodles with Green Sichuan Pepper Flavor ◎ Fried White Squid with Pepper Salt ☆ Matsutake Mushroom Steamed Soup ☆ Ezo Abalone and Loofah Stir-fried with Liver ☆ Du Zhong Korean Pork and Baby Pumpkin Twice-Cooked Pork ☆ Hairy Crab, Daikon, and Chrysanthemum Spring Rolls ☆ Sea Bass and Kaga Cucumber Stewed with Sichuan Oil ☆ Chen Mapo Tofu ◎ Almond ☆ Dandan Noodles without Soup (Half): JPY 800 (including tax) Drink Menu ☆ Colsaliz, Barbameto Cuvée di Famiglia Extra Dry: JPY 900 (including tax) ◎ Urlar, Moon Drops Sauvignon Blanc, 2026: JPY 1,270 (including tax) ☆ Nevio Scala, Sollùchero Moscato Secco, 2021: JPY 1,200 (including tax) ◎ Qvevri Wine Cellar, Rkatsiteli Qvevri, 2022: JPY 0 (including tax) ○ Château Fleur Haut Gaussens, La Viminière Malbec, 2016: JPY 1,400 (including tax) Expenses, Discounts, Others ・Service Charge (10%): JPY 2,757 Good Points ・Creative Sichuan cuisine that pairs excellently with drinks Bad Points ・I wish there were pairing options available. Other Notes ・The Tabelog Award Bronze: 2022, 2024-2026 ・China Cuisine EAST Top 100: 2021-2026 (2022, 2025 are not announced) Impressions After the second half of the Obon holiday, I arrived in Chiba the day before participating in Summer Sonic for the first time in 7 years. After checking into a hotel near Chiba Station, I headed to " China Sichuan Shuka Manzan", located a 5-minute walk from Makuhari-Hongo Station. I made a reservation through Tabelog a month ago. I chose the mid-range priced Nobu Course from three options. Despite heavy rain (a level 5 special warning for heavy rain was issued in Chiba due to a linear precipitation zone), I arrived at the restaurant. Upon entering, I saw four two-person tables. I was seated at the farthest one. The other guests included a young couple and a single man who arrived late due to the rain. Another couple couldn’t make it because public transport was suspended. The BGM was jazz. The staff consisted of the chef and a madam. For drinks, I ordered Colsaliz, Barbameto Cuvée di Famiglia Extra Dry. It was a crisp and easy-to-drink sparkling wine without any strong flavors. The course started with Gentle Spicy Salad with Natural Kanpachi and Water Eggplant. The Kanpachi had a meaty texture reminiscent of Nagasaki, and the eggplant was juicy from Senshu. I was drawn into the world of Manzan from the very first dish. Next was the Red Chicken Bang Bang Chicken from Chiba. It was plump and juicy with a solid spiciness, yet the umami was addictive. For my second drink, I had a New Zealand white, Urlar, Moon Drops Sauvignon Blanc, 2026. It was crisp with strong acidity. The Sea Urchin and Fujian Rice Noodles with Green Sichuan Pepper Flavor featured creamy sea urchin that clung well to the rice noodles, with a delightful kick from the Sichuan pepper. The Fried White Squid with Pepper Salt was both tender and slightly crunchy. The accompanying salt was also delicious. Then came the Matsutake Mushroom Steamed Soup. The aroma was unmistakably matsutake, while the umami came from shiitake mushrooms. Goji berries added a fun texture. Next, I had an orange wine, Nevio Scala, Sollùchero Moscato Secco, 2021. The madam suggested I try comparing it with Qvevri Wine Cellar, Rkatsiteli Qvevri, 2022. The former was very clean and easy to drink, while the latter had a complex flavor with a stronger astringency. The dish was Ezo Abalone and Loofah Stir-fried with Liver. The rich sauce paired perfectly with the drinks. The Du Zhong Korean Pork and Baby Pumpkin Twice-Cooked Pork was different from the typical version, served as a single piece of meat and seasoned only with doubanjiang, without sweet bean sauce. It was very satisfying. I debated whether to order rice but decided to wait a bit longer. Finally, I had a red wine, Château Fleur Haut Gaussens, La Viminière Malbec, 2016. It was a powerful Bordeaux Malbec. The Hairy Crab, Daikon, and Chrysanthemum Spring Rolls had a rich crab flavor complemented beautifully by the chrysanthemum. Then came the Sea Bass and Kaga Cucumber Stewed with Sichuan Oil. The sweet and spicy sauce would definitely pair well with white rice, so I couldn’t resist ordering some rice. The rice was Akita Komachi. Next was the Chen Mapo Tofu. This dish also had a delicious spiciness and richness that was addictive. I was in pure bliss making a self-serve mapo don with my extra rice. As a light eater, I was already quite full at this point, but as a fan of dandan noodles, I couldn’t resist adding the Dandan Noodles without Soup (Half). The chewy noodles mixed with the sauce and meat miso were exquisite. For dessert, I had Almond, which was refreshing with just the right amount of sweetness. I was also offered a second serving since there was an extra portion from a canceled guest. I finished with a cup of tea, feeling relaxed. The course lasted about two and a half hours, but afterward, I enjoyed a pleasant conversation with the charming owner (I mean it as a compliment) and a couple of regulars, ultimately staying for over three and a half hours before settling the bill. JPY 30,327 I paid with a credit card. It was a great meal. I really enjoyed it. The dishes were rich and paired well with the drinks, which is exactly my preference. I would love it if they offered pairing options since they have a great selection of wine and Shaoxing wine. I will definitely visit again. Now, I head back to Chiba Station in the pouring rain.
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