A Michelin-starred restaurant has opened a new casual dining option for enjoying Chinese cuisine in Nishi-Temma. "Chugoku-sai Esusawada," which has earned a Michelin star, is now offering a more casual dining experience. Booking a reservation...

On a rainy day during the lunch break, I decided to skip the lunch in Kita-Shinchi and instead tried out the Osaka Chinese restaurant, Sawada Hanten, which has won a Michelin star. It is located on the 2nd basement floor of the Osaka Fukoku Seimei Building. The exterior and interior are casual with neon signs. The lunch menu includes Saba-bushi tantanmen set for 1280 yen, Mapo tofu set for 1320 yen, and daily special set for 1280 yen. I ordered the Mapo tofu set with a large serving of rice. The rice can be refilled later. The table is neatly arranged with condiments, showing attention to detail. The Mapo tofu set comes with rice, water dumplings, salad, soup, and rice. The Mapo tofu had a delicious appearance and a flavorful minced meat taste with a numbing spiciness. The salad dressing was so tasty that I wished I could buy it. The water dumplings had a chewy skin with sesame sauce. The soup was flavorful. Eating the Mapo tofu with rice was delicious. I tried adding a bit of Sichuan pepper chili oil, which added more spiciness and made me sweat a lot. Despite the spiciness, it was delicious and addictive. Other customers seemed to enjoy the free rice option with the tantanmen. I look forward to trying the tantanmen next time. Thank you for the meal.

Osaka City in Osaka Prefecture is located near Umeda in Kita Ward. We visited a Chinese restaurant called Sawada Restaurant. We made a reservation for a table for two on Tabelog, but when we arrived, we were seated at the counter. When we mentioned that we had reserved a table, the staff said that tables are only available for groups of three or more. It was uncomfortable to be told this in a loud manner, as if it was just a preference. The food was decent, but the prices felt very high, possibly due to the location in Umeda. Considering the atmosphere, the attitude of the staff, and the taste of the food, the cost performance was the worst. I don't think I will go there again. Price: Approximately 5,000 yen per person (including drink cost).

Today I had lunch around Umeda Station. I visited a place I had bookmarked. The location is on the B2 floor of the Tomioka Life Building, across from Da Sole where I had visited before. They had hand sanitizer at the entrance as part of their infection prevention measures. I ordered the Sababushi Tantanmen. First, they provided condiments for the Tantanmen: ichimi togarashi, green Sichuan pepper, and red Sichuan pepper. After a short wait, the Tantanmen arrived. The noodles were thick curly noodles. The toppings included minced meat, spinach, green onions, bean sprouts, and cashew nuts. The flavor was delicious with a strong taste of Sababushi broth. I will definitely come back again.

Visit date and time: 12:20 on a weekday Wait time: None Menu: Braised Pork Rice Set for 1,300 yen Notes: Invoice registration available I had heard about the taste of Es Sawada's food and was curious to try it. When I passed by the restaurant on this day and saw no line, I knew I had to seize the opportunity and immediately went in. I ordered the Braised Pork Rice Set, which I hadn't tried before. It was my first time having proper braised pork rice, and the balance of meat and sauce was delicious. I decided to add red and green Sichuan peppers midway through, which added a nice numbing sensation and enhanced the flavor. It was really tasty. Thank you for the meal.

A Chinese restaurant located in the Fukuokaseimei Building, about a 10-minute walk from Osaka Station. It was just before 12 o'clock on a weekday, and the restaurant was about 20% full, so we were seated right away. I ordered the tantanmen. The lunch set was 1350 yen and came with tantanmen, salad, shumai, and rice. The tantanmen had a generous amount of ingredients, wasn't very spicy, and had a strong sesame (bonito flakes?) flavor that paired well with the rice.

I went for a slightly late lunch for the first time. I think during lunch hours, there might be a long wait. I enjoyed the taste of Michelin Chinese cuisine with a special lunch. It was very delicious, but the balance between price and portion was a bit off. Well, I guess that's to be expected for Michelin taste.

I have always watched Chef Sawada on TV and have been wanting to visit his main restaurant for a long time, but it's far and I couldn't go. Finally, I got the chance to visit one of the branches in Umeda after a few years of waiting. When I arrived before 12 pm, it was already full. I waited for about 15 minutes before being seated. The tables were so close together that I felt like I was almost sitting with the person next to me. I ordered a drink and planned to have a leisurely lunch, but I couldn't relax, so I just had one drink. Well, I understand that they cater to the salaryman lunch crowd, so it can't be helped. I was undecided about what to order for lunch, but I chose the tantanmen. For an additional charge of about 500 yen, I also added the daily special side dish to try more of Chef Sawada's cooking. The tantanmen was very light and not particularly memorable, but it was tasty. The daily special was a sweet and sour sauce with egg and shrimp, but it was too salty and I couldn't eat it. I only ate the shrimp on top and left the rest. Did they even taste this before serving it? I was really disappointed. Oh well, I could have had a coffee on my way back with that 500 yen.

Mapo tofu set, 1,320 yen. Located in the underground dining area of the Fukuokalife Building just past Higashi Umeda Station, this Chinese restaurant always has a line forming before opening. The spiciness is milder than expected, but adding some chili oil gives it just the right kick. The firm tofu goes well with the rice and is delicious. The special dish of the day was shumai, which was also tasty.

I visited at the end of Sunday lunch. They don't have a lunch menu on Sundays, so I ordered individual items. I got the mapo tofu, mackerel-flavored tantanmen, dumplings, and rice (medium size). It's busy during weekday lunches, but it's not crowded on weekends. I'm not a fan of strong Sichuan pepper, but the mapo tofu here has just the right amount of spiciness and umami, making it a perfect match with white rice. The mackerel-flavored tantanmen doesn't have any fishy taste, and the thick noodles and soup are delicious when combined.

Visited during lunch on a day off. Checked the lunch menu but found out they don't offer it on weekends. Oh well. I decided to try the "Mackerel Bonito Tan Tan Men" (1280 yen) that I was curious about and ordered a "Qingdao Beer" (660 yen). After a while, the food arrived. I took a sip of the soup first. The scent of mackerel hits you strongly. The mackerel flavor stands out more than the sesame. It's more like mackerel ramen. The noodles are slightly flat curly noodles, which I liked. There was no creaminess or spiciness, so you can add Sichuan pepper or other toppings to your liking. I added plenty of it. It wasn't quite like Tan Tan Men, nor was it satisfying as mackerel ramen. I didn't feel like I wanted to eat it again. Maybe my expectations were too high. Perhaps dry Tan Tan Men would be better. Next time, I'd like to try the Mapo Tofu that I also wanted to eat. It was delicious. Thank you for the meal.

It's a lunch review. This is a restaurant run by a familiar face from Job Chūn. It seems to have been expanding widely in Osaka recently. For lunch, they offer tantanmen, mapo tofu set, and a daily special set. Today's daily special is stir-fried shrimp and egg. I added a mini mapo tofu to the order and also got a Qingdao beer. It's not overly fancy, but the salad is tasty. The shrimp is a good size and the egg's firmness and sauce taste good. The additional mapo tofu has a rich flavor from the doubanjiang and is delicious. I also enjoyed changing the taste with the red and green Sichuan peppercorns on the table.

I was skeptical about the Michelin rating, but the food was really good and different from your average Chinese restaurant. However, there are better restaurants among the top 100 on Tabelog. The beer selection was not great. It's best to make a reservation, as it gets crowded on weekends and holidays. We ordered mapo tofu, dumplings, squid and broccoli stir-fry, Dan Xue fried rice, etc. The Taiwanese beer didn't pair well, so we switched to Super Dry halfway through. Overall, it's like an upgraded version of a typical Chinese restaurant, and it's good for impressing out-of-town friends due to its reputation.

It was just before 12 o'clock on a Saturday during the Obon holiday, but there was no line and I was able to smoothly enter. They only offered a la carte menu as there was no lunch set. I had a Qingdao beer for 660 yen. The shrimp with mayonnaise sauce was 880 yen. The mayo sauce was exquisite, creamy and fluffy with no unpleasant sourness, you can enjoy the sauce on its own. The grilled dumplings (3 pieces) were 450 yen. They were big with a well-seasoned filling and juicy. The shrimp and pork shumai (2 pieces) were 560 yen. The skin seemed to have egg in it, it was yellow. The texture of the small bubbles on top was great, and the umami of the pork was amazing. This is definitely a must-try dish. The black soy sauce fried rice with beef was 1,650 yen. It had a nice black color with cilantro as garnish. It was packed with tender beef, fluffy eggs, and plenty of soy sauce flavor. The total came to 4,200 yen. This Chinese restaurant is different from the typical local ones, with a stylish atmosphere and reasonable prices. The neighboring table ordered xiaolongbao and the signature dish of mackerel-flavored tantanmen, which looked delicious. The flavors were rich enough that you don't need to add anything extra. The portion sizes were on the smaller side, so you can enjoy a variety of dishes. The appearance and taste were unique compared to other restaurants, even the black hand towel added to the overall experience. I noticed they pay attention to details in various aspects of the restaurant.

I visited on a Saturday night after making a reservation on Tabelog. I ordered the recommended dishes: drooling chicken, grilled dumplings (I asked for 4 instead of the default 3), spicy fried shrimp, mapo tofu, and Tanetsuki fried rice. No matter what I ordered, there was no disappointment. The drooling chicken and mapo tofu had a Sichuan-style seasoning with a strong flavor of sansho pepper, which was really delicious. Thank you for the meal! ☺️

I ordered the mapo tofu set for lunch. It was a bit pricey at 1240 yen, but the mapo tofu was not too spicy and the salad was delicious, so I was satisfied. Rice was free for seconds. When I'm unsure where to have lunch in Umeda, I would like to go there again.

I ordered the lunch mapo tofu set for 1320 at that new restaurant by Chef S Sawada. The location is in the basement of the Life Building in an area crowded with strong dining options. The prices are a bit high, but the rice is all-you-can-eat. It's a shame that the rice wasn't very tasty. The mapo tofu was delicious, but for this price... I was hoping for a deeper spiciness and more flavorful oil to come out of the mapo tofu. However, it was still delicious. There was a line when I went.

I visited on a regular Monday around 7 o'clock. There was one table and a few seats at the counter available. I ordered dishes like drool chicken. The sours and highballs come with frozen fruits. I enjoy the dumplings with vinegar and pepper. The taste is definitely good. The restaurant has a simple atmosphere. The portion sizes are a bit small.

I was looking for a great lunch set deal, but unfortunately they don't serve lunch on Sundays and holidays. I ended up ordering the popular mapo tofu and the recommended Tansetsu fried rice. I arrived right when they opened, but they had already sold out of dumplings, which was surprising. However, they said I could order them in about an hour, so I added them to my order. The mapo tofu had a nice kick of Sichuan pepper and was delicious, but the portion was quite small. The Tansetsu fried rice was incredibly tasty and had a good amount of food. The dumplings had a homemade feel to them, with a chewy, bao-like texture. Overall, it was a great meal. I hope to come back next time for their lunch special.

I visited Osaka Chuka Sawada Hanbun, located in the basement of the Fukuokaseimei Building in Umeda. It was a Saturday night, so I made a reservation in advance. There were a few walk-in customers who were turned away because the restaurant was fully booked. It seems like this place is a casual sister restaurant of the popular high-end Chinese restaurant "Chugokusai Esu Sawada," which has a Michelin star. The restaurant is located in the dining area on the B2F floor of the Fukuokaseimei Building, next to the entrance of the Hankyu Higashi-dori shopping street. The interior of the restaurant has two counters in the center and table seats on both sides. We ordered Taiwan beer, pineapple-flavored appetizer platter, dumplings, xiaolongbao, shrimp with mayonnaise sauce, mapo tofu, sababushi tantanmen, and danxue chahan. The complimentary starter was water dumplings, which had a thick and chewy skin with miso sauce underneath. The appetizer platter included cream cheese marinated in Shaoxing wine, which was quite unique. The mapo tofu had a rich and authentic flavor with a mild level of spiciness, making it easy to eat even for those who are not good with spicy food. There was also a Sichuan pepper chili oil available for those who wanted to add more heat. The danxue chahan was the highlight, with egg white sauce, plenty of salmon roe, a generous amount of shrimp, and asparagus for texture. The saltiness and flavor were excellent, making it possibly the most delicious dish. The staff was attentive, even reminding us to change our plates when needed, and overall the service was great. Thank you for the delicious meal. (Visit rating: 3.53, 306 reviews)

The restaurant is located inside a building so you can go there regardless of the weather. The place is always full, not very spacious. I made a reservation and went. The Chinese cuisine servings are generous, which can be a bit overwhelming, but the prices are very reasonable for the amount you get, no matter how many people are dining. The appetizers were delicious. I would like to go again.

I always have lunch here in Umeda. Today, I had the tantanmen lunch. Normally, I go for the 8-spice level mapo tofu, but it was too hot today. The extra-thick curly noodles with rich soup coating them, and the vegetables with a well-balanced flavor, are addicting. It would be nice if the staff were a bit more friendly, like in Osaka.